Academic Times Newsletter

Letter from the Provost

It is great to be in Oklahoma working with dedicated and talented faculty, staff and students. We hope you take a few minutes to read through this month’s listing of a few outstanding contributions to teaching, scholarship and service from our faculty and staff across NSU. While there is no way to recognize all of the professional accomplishments of faculty and staff, every individual effort that goes beyond the call of duty, or all of the daily positive interactions with students, we hope to share what we can on a monthly basis through this newsletter.

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Dr. Terri Baker published an essay “Settling Oklahoma: Women’s Journey Stories” in the November 2009 issue of “Oklahoma Humanities, the Magazine of the Oklahoma Humanities Council.” Additionally, in connection with the program “Museum on Main Street” which is a service that brings Smithsonian exhibits to small town America, Dr. Baker presented programs on “Oklahoma‘s Pioneer Women’s Travel Stories” in Miami at the Miami Public Library and in Durant at The Three Valley Museum.

Dr. Mimi Bentley reviewed, Review of Grammars in Contact: A Cross-Linguistic Typology. Ed. by A. Aikhenvald and R.M.W. Dixon, (17 November 2009), Linguist List Vol-20-3955.

Dr. Ronald Chioldi, College of Liberal Arts, has a piano student, Michiko Saiki, who was a finalist in the Delta Symphony Orchestra’s annual Concerto Competition. The competition took place in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He also coauthored his fourth textbook on group piano for adults. Keyboard Musicianship Book 2, published by Stipes of Champaign, Illinois is in its 9th edition.

Dr. Craig Clifford, Department of Natural Sciences, chairs the Inclusion, Collaboration and Shared Leadership Task Force for the University Planning Group. This group is charged with developing this strategic goal (Goal 3) for the revised Strategic Plan.

Kristopher Copeland’s speech and debate team attended three tournaments last semester and won a total of 8 awards. He also received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Carl Albert State College January 28 in Poteau.

Dr. Kevin M. David, Department of Psychology & Counseling, College of Education, published an article in the March 2009 issues of The Journal of Positive Psychology. The article "Maternal Reports of Marital Quality and Preschoolers’ Positive Peer Relations: The Moderating Roles of Effortful Control, Positive Emotionality, and Gender”, focuses on individual differences in the links between positive marital interactions and children’s relationships with their peers. Of primary interest was the finding that children who have difficulty regulating their emotions and behavior seem to benefit the most from positive interactions between their parents.

Dr. Denise Deason-Toyne was nominated for the Medal of Excellence for Teaching at a Regional University. As a recordings reviewer for the International Trumpet Guild Journal, Jason Dovel’s review of the Royal Academy of Music Symphonic Brass’s “Richard Strauss - Complete Music for Brass Ensemble” was published in the October 2009 issue of the ITG journal and his review of Charles Lazarus’s “Zabaya” was published in the January 2010 issue of the ITG journal.

Jason Dovel and Anne Watson have been invited to be the trumpet and low clarinet clinicians respectively for the all-state band sectionals January 21 and 22 at the Oklahoma Music Education Association convention in Tulsa.

Dr. Patrick D. Enright of the Dept. of Languages and Literature gave a review of J.R. R. Tolkien’s The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun to the Friends of the Library in Tahlequah on January 14, 2010.

A brief biography and multiple images of five of Lance Hunter’s murals are featured in a 272 page, hardback book released in December. Mural Art 2: Murals on Huge Public Surfaces Around the World by Kiriakos Losifidis was published by Carpe Diem with the forward written in English and Greek. The book is being distributed internationally and it is available on Amazon.com.

Dr. Rhea Johnston, Dr. Kathy Hixon and Dr. Vanessa Anton published their article “The Never-Ending Circle of Life: Native American Hoop Dancing from Its Origin to the Present Day” in the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. They also received a National Dance Association Plaudit Award (in Tampa, FL) for their work.

Dr. David Linebarger’s poem “Day Care,” a contemporary take on Walt Whitman’s “A Noiseless Patient Spider,” was published in the January/February edition of Art Times.

The team of Dr. Kathi McDowell, Dr. Pamela Christol, and Dr. Martha Parrott, and the team of Dr. Erik Terdal, Dr. Pamela Christol, and Dr. Michael Wilds were each awarded a Summer Academy Grant from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education to provide enrichment activities for area high school students on the BA campus. Drs. McDowell, Christol, and Terdal are faculty in the Department of Natural Sciences, Dr. Parrott and Dr. Wilds are faculty in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and in the Department of Criminal Justice respectively.

Dr. Brad Montgomery-Anderson
Publications

• Grammaticalization from language contact: the periphrastic passive in Chontal Mayan’ Journal of Language Contact (accepted, under revision)
• Creating partnerships between the indigenous language community and the university: the Cherokee Education Degree Program’ In Building Communities and Making Connections, Susana Rivera-Mills and Juan Trujillo (eds.). Cambridge Scholarly Press (accepted, expected 2010)
• Teaching underlying forms: examples of Cherokee verb games’ In Indigenous Languages Across the Generations-Strengthening Families and Communities, Mary Eunice Romero-Little, Simon J. Ortiz, and Teresa L. McCarty, with Ran Chen (eds.). Tempe: Arizona State University Center for Indian Education (forthcoming, 2010)
• Native American language ideologies: beliefs, practices, and struggles in Indian country’ edited by Paul V. Kroskrity and Margaret C. Field; to appear in Journal of Sociolinguistics 34.4. 2010.
• Handbook of the North American Indian. Volume 2: Indians in Contemporary Society’ edited by Garrick Alan Bailey; Journal of the West, 48.2. 2009.

Presentations

• Shared morphosyntactic properties of affects and positionals in Chontal Mayan’ Annual Conference of the Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas, Baltimore, MD. January 2010.

Dr. Martha Parrott is sponsoring a mathematics clinic at the Broken Arrow campus. NSU education majors are learning how to tutor students in math, and elementary age students are getting the help they need to succeed. It is a service learning project that greatly benefits both groups and generates plenty of goodwill.

Dr. Spence Pilcher, Department of Natural Sciences, has pretest/posttest scores for his General Chemistry students that demonstrate effective teaching. On the American Chemical Society First Semester General Chemistry Standardized Exam, his students’ results (Mean=32.64) were comparable to the results of students nationwide (Mean-34.37).

Tom Rink, Broken Arrow library, attended and presented at the Leadership Summit of the Special Libraries Association and is serving in his third and final year on the Board of Directors of the Special Libraries Association (Past Division Cabinet Chair). Activities included Summit planning, attending board meetings (and reporting), presenting at the First-Timers breakfast, and reporting at both the Division Cabinet as well as the Joint Cabinet.

Jenifer Rogers, Technical Services JVL, is the Assistant Director for the Tahlequah Community Playhouse presentation of “The Miss Firecracker Contest” written by Beth Henley. Performances will be February 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21 at the Tahlequah Armory Municipal Center.

Dr. Tom Salmon has been notified of the extension of his Funded Research with CooperVision Japan in which he provides consulting and clinical research on the improvement of certain aspects of CVJ contact lenses. As part of his work with CooperVision Japan, Dr. Salmon will attend the meeting of the Japanese Contact Lens Society in Shinjuku, Tokyo in July 2010. Dr. Salmon has published several articles during 2009 that included articles in the Journal of the Japanese Optometric Association and Clinical Experimental Optometry.

Drs. Tom Salmon and Roger West co-authored an article in the publication Optometry Visual Science.

Sr. Stephan Sargent and Dr. Mindy Smith have an article summarizing a research project on the preparation of reading teachers that has just been accepted in the Yearbook of the Association of Literacy and Educational Researchers, entitled, “What’s Old Is New Again... Is the Foundation of Comprehension Instruction Still Solid?”

Dr. Stephan Sargent, Ms. Meagan Eeg, and Dr. Mary Swanson all recently presented findings of two reading/literacy research studies at the National Reading Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Dr. Stephan Sargent, Dr. Mindy Smith and Dr. Mary Swanson all recently presented findings of their reading/literacy research at the Association of Literacy and Educational Researchers in Charlotte, NC.

David Scott, Mike Chanslor, and NSU Communication BA graduate Jenny Dixon (currently a Ph D student at the University of Missouri) have recently had an article accepted in the academic peer reviewed journal, Communication Quarterly. The article is entitled “FAIR and the PBS NewsHour: Assessing Diversity and Elitism in News Sourcing.”

Dr. Donna Shelton recently completed the Grammar Handbook supplement to the second edition of ¡Con brío!, a first-year university Spanish textbook from John Wiley & Sons. The Grammar Handbook expands upon the explanations included in the textbook for instructors interested in more in-depth grammar practice or the practice of concepts that are not included in the book. In addition to the explanations, the handbook includes original, contextualized exercises that build on the cultural themes of the textbook.

Dr. Mindy Smith and Dr. Stephan Sargent had the findings of their research study published in the 2010 Winter Edition of Reading Improvement, entitled: “Newspapers for Boys? Newspapers for Girls? Newspapers for Everyone!”

Andrew Vassar escorted NSU’s very first visiting Fulbright scholar, Dr. Muhammed Syamsuddin from Gadjah Madjah University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, to over forty-five presentations throughout the Tulsa area through a unique program that brought direct access to the Muslim world via contact with the Tulsa Islamic Society, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Tulsa, Tulsa Community College and Connors State College. At the end of Dr. Syamsuddin’s visit he gave presentations in Miami Oklahoma, on Route 66: on October 8 he shared a double bill at the Miami public library with the famed Michael Wallis, speaking about his Route 66: The Mother Road. On November 24, in lieu of the opening of the Smithsonian Institution’s “Journey Stories” travelling exhibit at the Miami Public Library, he had the opportunity to introduce the movie “Bones of the Old Road” at the beautiful Art Deco Coleman Theater in Miami with the filmmakers Jerry McClanahan and Jim Ross. He has been invited back to open the Journey Stories reading series for Miami’s Let’s Talk About it Oklahoma series with the Odyssey on February 11th.

Allyson Watson has been selected by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to serve as a board member on the Executive Council of Advisers for the Gates Millennium Scholars program. This is a tremendous responsibility and awesome opportunity. She is one of 8 representatives selected from across the country. The foundation will provide for her training in Washington DC with the President and council members March 5-7th. She will return on the 7th. She is excited to be representing Oklahoma and NWSU! Visit the Gates Millennium Scholars Program website here.

During the 2009-10 academic year, Dr. Allyson Watson, Dr. Stephan Sargent, and Dr. Mike Wilds have served as visiting faculty for Union Collegiate Academy, a program providing a class addressing topics such as college selection and scholarship research, project-based learning, and leadership skills across different academic disciplines led by instructors from area colleges.

Anne Watson has had two clarinet literature reviews in The Clarinet, Magazine for the International Clarinet Association. She has also been asked to perform as a featured artist with the Claribel Clarinet Choir (Oostend kerke, Belgium) at the Texas Music Educators Convention in February 2010.

Dr. Virginia Whitekiller is the principal investigator on a grant awarded by the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute.

Mike Wilds taught forensics to 32 high school juniors and seniors at Union Collegiate Academy from January 4-22. In that the Academy is designed for students planning to attend college, it looks like NSU will net 7-12 of the 32 students!

Other News

The Criminal Justice and Legal Studies Department will begin operation of a free legal clinic for veterans on the Tahlequah and Broken Arrow campuses on February 1, 2010. Office hours for Tahlequah will be Mondays 1:00PM- 2:30PM in room 337 and Broken Arrow 3:00PM- 4:30PM in Room 156G every Wednesday. Department Chair Cari Keller and assistant professor David Madden will offer free legal advice on a range of issues for veterans in both locations. Students majoring in legal studies will assist Dr. Keller and Dr. Madden. Advertising for the project will be done through the University. This effort is the result of a Learning Services project submitted by Dr. Keller.

This semester SPAN 2313, Intermediate Spanish Conversation, is using a wiki rather than a traditional textbook. The wiki allows us to gather resources for current and future use in the course. It is still under construction, but it will eventually include all the vocabulary and major activities for all three units. It also has the instructions for speaking tasks that the students will complete using Google Voice and an online media album called VoiceThread.

Deans and Division & Department Chairs

College of Liberal Arts

• Dr. Paul Westbrook - Dean
• Dr. Mike Chanslor - Communication & Art
• Dr. Mark Bighley - Performing Arts
• Dr. Les Hannah - Languages and Literature
• Dr. Chuck Ziehr - Social Sciences
• Dr. Virginia Whitekiller - Professional Studies
• Dr. Kari Keller - Criminal Justice
• Jason Junkens - Military Science

College of Education

• Dr. Kay Grant - Dean
• Dr. Deborah Landry - Curriculum & Instruction
• Dr. Mark Giese - Health & Kinesiology
• Dr. Renee Cambiano - Educational Foundations & Leadership
• Dr. Kathryn Sanders - Psychology & Counseling

College of Business & Technology

• Dr. John Schleede - Dean
• Dr. Fritz Laux - Accounting & Finance
• Dr. Anne Davey - Business Administration
• Dr. Michael Turner - IS & Technology

College of Science & Health Professions

• Dr. Martin Venneman - Dean
• Dr. April Adams - Natural Sciences
• Dr. Darryl Linde - Mathematics & Computer Science
• Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Health Professions
• College of Optometry Dr. Doug Penisten

Muskogee Campus

• Dr. Tim McElroy - Dean

Broken Arrow Campus

• Dr. Christee Jenlink - Interim Dean

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the April issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please send it to Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok.edu. The deadline for the April issue is March 15. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Letter from the Provost

We hope you enjoy our third issue of Academic Times. It will be the last one this academic year, but we will have a fourth issue ready to send out next fall. Despite the fact that we will not produce an issue this summer, we know that work doesn't come to a stop just because the temperature rises, so please continue to send us items for the next issue.

We continue to be impressed by the work done by faculty and staff on behalf of our students, our community, and our region. You are living the NSU mission, vision, and values, making place matter every day. Also, we share every issue of the Academic Times with our regents and with our system colleagues, and have received many positive comments about what they see listed.

Enjoy this issue, and share what you see here with others.

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Dr. April Adams

• Dr. Adams and her students collaborated with Oklahoma Blue Thumb for an invertebrate collection in Town Branch Creek.
• She collaborated with Oklahoma Blue Thumb for a Quality Assurance meeting for area Blue Thumb volunteers.
• Dr. Adams attended a National Science Foundation Workshop concerning how to write grant proposals for the DRK-12, REESE, and Career programs.
• She completed a year-long training for Department Chairs with the Educators’ Leadership Academy for Academic Chairs.
• She facilitated the “Mentor Mentee Nexus” session at the National Association for Research in Science Teaching International Conference in Philadelphia, PA.
• Dr. Adams, a member of the Membership and Elections Standing Committee for the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, attended committee meetings at the National Association for Research in Science Teaching International Conference in Philadelphia, PA.
• Dr. April Adams presented a Membership and Elections Committee session entitled, “The Mentor/Mentee Nexus,” at the National Association for Research in Science Teaching annual meeting in Philadelphia, PA.
• Dr. April Adams was appointed to the Program Accreditation Committee of the Oklahoma Commission on Teacher Preparation and attended the committee meeting and commission meeting on April 8, 2010.

The following Department of Natural Sciences Faculty presented at the Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teacher Association Annual Meeting on the Tahlequah campus of NSU on April 17, 2010: Dr. April Adams, Dr. Pam Christol, Dr. Jody Buckholtz, Ms. Monica Macklin, Dr. Tiffany Maher, and Dr. Jessica Martin. In addition the Chemistry Club presented chemistry demonstrations.

The following faculty received NSU Faculty Research Grants: Dr. Joseph Ahlander, Dr. Dragos Albinescu, and Dr. Rui Zhang.

Dragos Albinescu submitted a Faculty Research Committee Grant proposal.

On March 9th, the Leadership Tahlequah group toured the NSU science building, visiting the teaching and research labs of Dr. Joseph Ahlander, Dr. Jessica Martin, Dr. Jody Buckholtz, and Dr. Cindy Cisar.

Dr. John de Banzie created twelve video podcasts illustrating common issues in interpreting test questions as part of ongoing efforts to improve student success in his Biochemistry class. He organized and hosted a visit by a panel from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The purpose of the visit was to assess the impact of the Oklahoma INBRE program on research and teaching in the college. Dr. de Banzie coordinated expenditure of $70,000 in funds from the Oklahoma INBRE program for equipment and supplies to support new and continuing biomedical research projects. He also represented NSU at the Oklahoma INBRE summer internship selection meeting. Five students from NSU were selected for internships.

On March 14-16, Dr. Buckholtz took six OKLSAMP scholars to the University of Central Oklahoma to participate in Pursuing Higher Degrees Camp.

Following Department of Natural Sciences Faculty is serving on a newly formed Masters Degree Committee: Dr. Chris Burba (chair), Dr. Cindy Cisar, and Dr. Rui Zhang.

Dr. Chris Burba has entered into a collaborative research relationship with Dr. Daniel Resasco at OU and the company Southwest Nanotubes to explore using some of Dr. Burba’s carbon nanotubes in lithium batteries.

Dr. Chris Burba submitted a $465,000 Major Research Instrument proposal to NSF on April 21. Drs. Pilcher, Martin, and Maher are serving as Senior Personnel and Dr. Burba is the PI.

Chemistry student, Mr. Eric Butson presented his work at the Research on the Capitol. Dr. Chris Burba is his research mentor.

Dr. Pamela Christol implemented activities and content from attending a professional development workshop sponsored by the EPA entitled "Consumer Conservation” presented by A Nurtured World (12 students accompanied her).

Dr. Pamela Christol evaluated a 6th grade science residency teacher in Tulsa. She presented “From Lab to Life: Making Connections and Making a Difference” at the National Science Teacher Association National Conference in Philadelphia on March 18, 2010.

Dr. Christol submitted follow-up information concerning the NSU PT2 grant. She submitted input on the NSTA Position Statement “The Role of Research on Science Teaching and Learning”.

She was invited to moderate a discussion group at the “CASMEO (Coalition for the Advancement of Science and Mathematics Education): Charting Our Course” Oklahoma Conference (March 25-26 in Tulsa).

Dr. Christol, as a committee member for the NSTA Committee on Informal Science, participated in a three hour meeting and other functions associated with Informal Day at the NSTA national conference (March 17-21, 2010).

She is also a committee member for the NSTA Committee on Multicultural/Equity in Science Education, and participated in a three hour meeting for NSTA during the national conference (March 17-21, 2010). Dr. Pamela Christol, as an elected member of the National Science Teacher Association Congress Planning Committee for NSTA National Congress on Science Education to be held in summer, 2010.

Dr. Christol, as elected District XIII Director (OK, NM, TX) for the National Science Teachers Association, participated in the monthly NSTA Conference Call for the national Board and Council.

She is the current president of the Oklahoma Science Teachers Association. She met with the Board to plan conferences and other professional development opportunities for OK.

Dr. Cindy Cisar accompanied NSU undergraduate, Ms. Hollie Moses, to the American Society for Microbiology Missouri Valley Branch conference at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas on April 8-10. Ms. Moses gave an oral presentation on her research entitled "Impact of Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent on Antibiotic Resistance in Aeromonads". She received the second place award for her presentation in the undergraduate section. Dr. Cisar also participated in a panel discussion on "What Do I Need to Know About a Career in Academia?" In addition, Dr. Cisar and Ms. Moses visited the US Geological Survey Kansas Water Science Center in Lawrence, Kansas. They were given a tour of the analytical chemistry lab and discussed collaborative research projects.

David Barron from Rogers State and Teri Cochran attended the NSAFAA’s Annual Leadership Conference in Washington DC. State and regional aid association leaders visited their members of congress to advocate on a wide array of student aid policy issues.

Dr. Lynn Cyert activities for March, 2010:

• Attended Muskogee County Head Start Health Services Advisory Council meeting
• Attended College of Optometry in Vision Development (COVD) presentation for students on campus; accompanied speaker (Dr. Robin Price) to lunch

Dr. Kevin David, Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology & Counseling, received an NSU Faculty Research Grant in the amount of $4,250 for his upcoming research project entitled, "Early Adolescents' Perceptions of their Parents' Positive Interactions."

Dr. Wes DeRosier

• Mar 22: Chair – Accreditation Council on Optometric Education accreditation site visit for State University New York College of Optometry Vision Therapy and Rehabilitation Optometric Residency
• Mar 25-26: Attended Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians Spring Conference
• April 28: Chair - Accreditation Council on Optometric Education accreditation site visit for San Francisco VAMC Primary Care Optometric Residency affiliated with Berkeley College of Optometry.

Dr. John Diamantopoulos organized a group of 8 students to attend the OK-AR section meeting of the Mathematical Association of America at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR. Students attended to take part in the 2nd annual team math competition which consisted of 2-3 students per team in a "Jeopardy" format. All eight of the NSU students also took part in an individual "Integration Bee". Dr. Darryl Linde presented a talk on "The Great Internet Mersenne Prime Search" and explained the NSU team effort to find the next largest prime number. Dr. John Diamantopoulos also presented a talk titled "Let Them Leave Their Cell Phones On!” where he demonstrated many calculator/ graphing calculator applications for the iPhone including one that has a quite sophisticated Computer Algebra System.

Kent Hawkins, PhD, Ron Schaefer, PhD, and Keith Clark, MD (OUHSC) were awarded an INBRE equipment grant for $34,950 to purchase an endoscope to study vocal cord tissue in humans.

Dr. Benjamin Kracht’s former student, Justin Castro (history major/anthropology minor), recently had an article published in The Chronicles of Oklahoma: "From the Tennessee River to Tahlequah: A Brief History of Cherokee Fiddling". Dr. Kracht also had a book review in the same volume 87(4). Dr. Kracht had two articles published in The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Kracht, Benjamin R. 2009 "Kiowa." Pp. 805-07 in Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Dianna Everette, ed. Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Historical Society. 2009 "Kiowa-Comanche-Apache Opening." Pp. 807-09 in Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Dianna Everette, ed. Oklahoma City: Oklahoma Historical Society.

Dr. Fritz Laux, with his friend Richard Peck from the University of Illinois at Chicago, got the lead article in the second 2009 issue of the Journal of Economics. Their paper is entitled "Economic Perspectives on Addiction: Hyperbolic Discounting and Internalities" and discusses issues in how we characterize and measure the behavior of people who are consuming addictive goods, such as cigarettes and drugs.

Ms. Monica Macklin, Dr. Mark Paulissen, and Dr. April Adams submitted a Faculty Research Grant application.

Dr. Jessica Martin presented her research "Isolation and Structural Characterization of Marine Fungal Siderophores" at the annual meeting of the Oklahoma IDeA Network for Biomedical Research Excellence External Advisory Committee in Oklahoma City, OK.

Diana Mashburn and Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand again served as judges at the Muskogee Science Fair on March 2.

Diana Mashburn, American Heart Association CPR Instructor, again assisted in Muskogee’s City Wide CPR training at the Civic Center on February 6.

On April 10th, Dr. Rick Matzen took two teams of three students each to the CCSC Mid Central Regional Programming Contest at Park University in Parkville, Missouri. Eighteen teams from five states competed. The NSU team of Jared Deckard, Stephen Ashmore, and Zac Kindle placed first. The team of Matt Stowe, Jason Eads, and Ansel Manning placed sixth.

Dr. Kathi McDowell and Dr. Marvita McGuire attended the OK EPSCoR NSF Grants Workshop on April 30th hosted by the University of Oklahoma in Norman OK. Dr. Kathi McDowell attended a webinar entitled “Impact of Microbial Contamination and Misidentified Cell Cultures on Research” on March 22.

Dr. Marvita McGuire

• Dr. Marvita McGuire accompanied the professional Health Club to MedXtravaganza; Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences open house.
• Dr. Marvita McGuire attended the Carl Albert State College Health Career Fair.
• Dr. Marvita McGuire presented at ‘One Voice’ conference for American Society of Clinical Laboratory Scientists.
• Dr. Marvita McGuire presented at the Oklahoma. Higher Education Teaching and Learning Conference.
• March 12: Sponsored Pre professional Health Club Career Fair.

Dr. Alan McKee and Dr. Latricia Pack represented NSUOCO at the 2010 CIBA Vision Educator's Meeting, February 25-28, 2010 in Bonita Springs, Florida. CIBA Vision is one of four major soft contact lens companies in the United States.

Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand again served as a judge for History Day that was held at NSU April 6.

Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand spoke about a career in Nursing to the Pre-Professional Health Club.

Dr. Mark Paulissen was Director for the Annual Oklahoma Academy of Science Spring Field Meeting held at Lake Wister State Park April 9-11. Meeting participants from all over the state took advantage of field trips and presentations by specialists in a wide array of disciplines to learn about the flora, fauna, geography, and astronomy of eastern Oklahoma.

Dr. Mark Paulissen authored one article and was co-author on a second article published in the Proceedings of the Louisiana Academy of Science this month: 1) "Tail Loss Reduces Sprint Speed Of The Lizard Scincella Lateralis" Proc. La. Acad. Sci 67: 32-36. 2) "Spatial Variation In Populations Of The Mediterranean Gecko On A Louisiana College Campus" coauthored with Tabatha S. Hibbs and Harry A. Meyer. Proc. La. Acad. Sci. 67: 10-16.

Dr. Spence Pilcher was accepted to participate in the 2010/11 Educators’ Leadership Academy for outstanding professors. The Outstanding Professors’ Academy is a program designed to provide an outstanding professional leadership development experience and develop a vital network of peers among the outstanding professors in institutions throughout Oklahoma.

On March 25, Dr. Alissa Proctor hosted Dr. Robin Price, NSU-OCO Alumnus and College of Optometrist in Vision Development (COVD) Board Member as he presented a series of lectures and a dinner presentation to the optometry students on vision training. The dinner presentation was in conjunction with the annual Tour de Optometry that COVD promotes annually to all the schools and colleges of optometry. The spring optometric state association meeting was held in Oklahoma City March 26-27. Optometry Assistant Professor Alissa Proctor, OD, FAAO was one of the conference speakers as she presented a two hour lecture on InfantSEE: Building Your Practice One Baby at a Time. This lecture highlighted the importance of infant eye exams to promote normal development and detection of early childhood problems. InfantSEE is a no charge comprehensive eye exam offered as a public health service from optometrists to infants less than 12 months of age. Optometry Assistant Professor Alissa Proctor, OD, FAAO and Adjunct Clinical Faculty Stephanie Rice, OD, FCOVD volunteered at the Oklahoma Home and Community Education Northeastern District Meeting on Tuesday, March 30. They presented information on iris scanning, a biometric screening device that serves as an identification method for children or adults with Alzheimer's or anyone unable to provide medical personnel with necessary identification information during a medical emergency. Programs and databases such as the CHILD Project and Senior Safety Net are available in most of the 50 states and optometrists can assist in obtaining the iris scans so the information can be entered into the national database.

Dr. Mia Revels coordinated a visit with faculty and students from the Shiloh Christian School and led them on a birding field trip on the NSU campus. She also coordinated and led several field trips with former and current NSU students and members of the birding community from all over the state to see American Woodcock Breeding displays.

Dr. Mia Revels was a Field Trip Leader for the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences Spring Field Meeting at Lake Wister State Park. She led a paddling trip of the Fourche Maline River which focused on locating and identifying migrating birds.

Dr. Thomas Salmon

• On February 26, Dr. Salmon (faculty sponsor for JNSU, the Japanese student's group) accompanied 13 NSU students for their performance at OU international cultural festival at the OU Tulsa Schusterman Center. The JNSU members performed the soran-bushi, a traditional fisherman's folk dance, for the program.
• On March 1, Dr. Salmon and four NSU students represented NSU at a reception in Broken Arrow for the Consul General of Japan, Mr. Tsutomu Osawa. Dr. Salmon gave a powerpoint presentation highlighting the activities of Japanese students at NSU. The Consul General Osawa administers the affairs of Japanese citizens in the Oklahoma-Texas region.
• On March 10, Dr. Salmon (faculty sponsor) accompanied Celsior, NSU's acclaimed Japanese hip-hop dance team, for a performance at the Governor's Global Education Conference at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. Celsior represented NSU and shared modern Japanese culture with the delegates.
• On March 22, Dr. Salmon lectured to students and faculty at the Southern College of Optometry (SCO), in Memphis, Tennessee on the topic of clinical aberrometry. He also attended a research meeting with SCO scientists to help them plan a new study to evaluate optics of the human eye.
• On March 23, Dr. Salmon submitted an abstract of his research, "Wavefront Sensing to Evaluate Wetting of Daily Disposable Soft Contact Lenses" for presentation at the annual meeting of the Japan Contact Lens Society in July in Tokyo. It summarizes research that Dr. Salmon has been doing under a grant from CooperVision, the world's third largest contact lens manufacturer.
• Dr. Salmon continues to publish a monthly online newsletter for doctors and contact lenses staff in Japan. It includes a feature article on basic clinical science, plus news and reviews of recent research. It is available on the CooperVision-Japan website.
• Dr. Salmon also contributed lecture notes to an international collaborative effort by the International Centre for Eye Care Education, which is developing a standardized curriculum for countries that don't have an established system of optometric education.

Dr. Stephan Sargent, Dr. Mindy Smith, and Ms. Meagan Eeg (Reading Faculty in the College of Education) attended and presented the results of a research study at the annual conference of the International Reading Association in April in Chicago, Illinois. The three reading faculty presented a session entitled, “Succeeding in the Essential Elements of Reading Instruction: Practical Ways to Implement Varied Reading/ Learning Styles in Daily Reading Instruction”.

Dr. Amy Smith

• Dr. Amy Smith submitted a collaborative grant to study habitat characteristics of source-sinks for the endangered American burying beetle.
• Dr. Amy Smith hosted a field day with the US Geological Survey for her Limnological Methods Class. The USGS staff was very impressed with the students and some students will be considered for summer internships.
• Dr. Amy Smith a speaker at the Annual Oklahoma Academy of Science Spring Field Meeting held at Lake Wister State Park. Her talk was entitled: “Reproductive Dynamics of the Endangered American Burying Beetle Nicrophorus Americanus.”

Dr. Mindy Smith, Dr. Stephan Sargent, Dr. Kay Grant, and Dr. Pam Fly made a presentation to the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation (http://www. ok.gov/octp/) in early April. The presentation highlighted the NSU Reading Clinic as well as the preparation of excellent reading teachers and reading specialists at NSU.

Dr. Mary Swanson (Reading Faculty in the College of Education) is actively working with a federal GEAR-UP grant focusing on providing literacy services to secondary students who struggle with reading. Dr. Swanson has a summer program planned so that these high school students will come to the NSU-BA Campus daily during the summer. Not only will their literacy improve, but the secondary students will have the opportunity to visit a college campus.

Dr. Erik Terdal is receiving assistance from Francis Ford Coppola. Mr. Coppola’s employees are collecting data for Dr. Terdal’s jaguar research project in Belize.

Dr. Tobi Thompson is joining the NSU College of Education (Reading Faculty) in the fall. Having her undergraduate and master’s degrees from NSU, she is excited to be on the Tahlequah Campus again. Dr. Thompson studied under Dr. Joseph Faulds during her studies at NSU. Dr. Thompson holds a Ph.D. in reading/literacy instruction from Oklahoma State University. She is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher (Visit the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards website) with fourteen years of teaching experience. In addition to being named the Teacher of the Year for her district, Dr. Thompson brings vast knowledge in secondary and content area literacy instruction.

NSUOCO faculty who went to South Carolina to lecture/labs for South Carolina Optometric Physicians Association in March: Michelle Welch, OD, and Richard Castillo, OD, DO.

"Minor Surgical Procedures for the Optometric Physician" 16 Hour CME course NSUOCO faculty who participate lectures/ labs at the Kentucky Optometric Association NSUOCO course here in March: Welch, Castillo, Douglas Penisten, O.D. Ph.D.,, F.A.A.O.,, Roger West, Ph.D., O.D., and Rodney Bendure, OD (Adjunct) "Minor Surgical Procedures for the Optometric Physician" and "Laser Therapy for the Anterior Segment" 32 Hour CME course.

Dr. Sue Woods

• Dr. Sue Woods attended the OSU Med-Xtravaganza as the Pre-Professional Health Advisor for the BA campus.
• Dr. Sue Woods supplied Mr. Wheeler, science teacher at Barnsdall High School, with items (from personal supplies) for a microbiology project.
• Dr. Sue Woods was re-elected to her fourth term on the Caney Valley School Board, and she was re-elected to her 11th year as president of that board.
• Dr. Sue Woods did an experiment on April 23rd & 26th with the 5th grade classes at Caney Valley Elementary School in Ochelata, OK. The students isolated bacteria and mold.
• Dr. Sue Woods, sponsor of The Pre-Professional Health Club in Broken Arrow, briefed the members on volunteering and shadowing opportunities in the Tulsa area.

Dr. Rui Zhang, Ms. Deb Hyde, and Dr. April Adams served on a committee to develop the new General Physical Science Lecture and Lab course. Dr. Zhang reviewed a Physical Review E paper as a referee. Dr. Rui Zhang served on a committee to search for two faculty positions in physics. He also submitted a Faculty Research Committee Grant proposal. Dr. Zhang was awarded Oklahoma INBRE funds to purchase a Dell computer cluster.

NSU Stars in the Summer Series Announces Summer 2010 Programming
June 24 – August 7, 2010
For tickets or information call 458-2075 or Visit the Sequoyah Institute website

Downtown Country

Destination: Country

(Thursday Evening / Saturday Evening)

Need a vacation? Then let NSU's Downtown Country take you on a trip you'll never forget! Pack your boots and travel country-style, enjoying stops in "Luckenbach, TX" and "The Streets of Bakersfield," spending"Midnight in Montgomery" and reaching "Amarillo by Morning." From this show's ovation-worthy opener toits flag-waving finale, you'll see why your summertime destination should be the NSU Playhouse!

If This Ol’ Dock Could Talk

(Friday Evening / Saturday Matinee)

Do you believe that life's defining moments often happen in places where we least expect them? Then walk on down to the old fishing dock with us, cast your line and your cares, and kick back as Downtown Country plays the soundtrack of your life. Out by the water you'll meet people who immediately feel like old friends and relive memories that you'll swear were your own. Oh, the stories it would tell, "If This ol' Dock Could Talk!"

River City Players

Hollywood Hits

(Thursday Evening / Saturday Evening)

The River City Players bring the rock and roll sounds of the silver screen to the stage this summer in Hollywood Hits. Join the River City cast as they celebrate the songs that have accompanied film favorites like Dirty Dancing and Footloose as well as musical movie mega-hits including Hairspray and Mamma Mia. Don’t forget about those classic theme songs from TV hits including Cheers, Happy Days, and The Golden Girls, just to name a few. Let the rock and roll lover inside you break out and yell hooray for Hollywood Hits!

Oldies But Goodies

(Friday Evening / Saturday Matinee)

Take a trip down memory lane with the River City Players’ tribute to classic rock and roll, Oldies But Goodies. Celebrate the classic hits of the 50’s and 60’s; from Tutti Frutti to Sunday Kind of Love, the River City cast is sure to have you dancing in the aisles. Get ready to rock, roll and “Stroll” to the sounds of the Supremes and the ballads of the Beach Boys, and of course no rock and roll journey is complete without a few tunes from The King himself. You are guaranteed to leave the theatre with a rediscovered, rock and roll love for those Oldies But Goodies!

Other News

On March 23-24, a panel of scientists with the American Association for the Advancement of Science visited the NSU Tahlequah campus. They were reviewing the $18 million Oklahoma INBRE program funded by the National Institutes of Health. The panel visited with the Oklahoma INBRE Program Coordinator, Dr. John de Banzie, INBRE Junior Investigators Drs. Jessica Martin and Cindy Cisar and with other NSU faculty: Drs. Joseph Ahlander, Dragos Albinescu, Jody Buckholtz, Chris Burba, Tiffany Maher, Anand Sukhan, and Rui Zhang. Reviewers, Drs. Paula Dehn, Mary Farwell, Carly Langlais, and Joseph Cameron, were seeking information on undergraduate research on the NSU campus and will be submitting a report on the Oklahoma program to NIH.

Human & Family Sciences signed a new Smart Choice agreement with NEO March 31.

The Joint Advisory Meeting sponsored by the Connors State College and NSU Nursing programs was held April 1. Approximately 25 hospital, agency, and associate degree program representatives from Oklahoma and Arkansas attended.

Deans and Division & Department Chairs

College of Liberal Arts

• Dr. Paul Westbrook - Dean
• Dr. Mike Chanslor - Communication, Art and Theater
• Dr. Mark Bighley - Music and Humanities
• Dr. Les Hannah - Languages and Literature
• Dr. Chuck Ziehr - Social Sciences
• Dr. Kathryn Shahan - Social Work
• Dr. Virginia Whitekiller - Professional Studies
• Dr. Cari Keller - Criminal Justice and Legal Studies
• Jason Junkens - Military Science

College of Education

• Dr. Kay Grant - Dean
• Dr. Deborah Landry - Curriculum & Instruction
• Dr. Mark Giese - Health & Kinesiology
• Dr. Renee Cambiano - Educational Foundations & Leadership
• Dr. Kathryn Sanders - Psychology & Counseling

College of Business & Technology

• Dr. John Schleede - Dean
• Dr. Fritz Laux - Accounting & Finance
• Dr. Anne Davey - Business Administration
• Dr. Michael Turner - IS & Technology

College of Science & Health Professions

• Dr. Martin Venneman - Dean
• Dr. April Adams - Natural Sciences
• Dr. Darryl Linde - Mathematics & Computer Science
• Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Health Professions

College of Optometry

• Dr. Doug Penisten

Muskogee Campus

• Dr. Tim McElroy - Dean

Library

• Dr. Sheila Collins - Dean

Broken Arrow Campus

• Dr. Christee Jenlink - Interim Dean

If you have any information and pictures that you would like to have posted in the Academic Times newsletter, please send it to Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok. edu. NSU Pictures are provided by the University.

Letter from the Provost

Welcome back to a year full of activity and opportunity at Northeastern State University! Over 40 new faculty and staff joined us this fall, and I’d like to welcome them in this first issue. We hope that they quickly feel a part of the NSU community and the hospitality for which we are known.

As in the spring, we invite you to submit activities for inclusion in future editions of the Academic Times throughout the year. This is your opportunity to share with your colleagues the fine work you are doing. You are ‘making place matter’ in NE Oklahoma and beyond, and others need to know about that work.

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

As part of her responsibilities as a member of Membership and Elections Committee for the National Association for Research in Science Teaching, Dr. April Adams reviewed nominations for the President and Board of Directors. Dr. April Adams facilitated a Quality Assurance Meeting for area citizen stream monitors for Oklahoma Blue Thumb. She also participated in the Program Assessment Committee (PAC) meeting of the Oklahoma Commission on Teacher Preparation. Dr. Adams is a member of the PAC. Dr. April Adams’ Science in the Elementary School class participated in an Invertebrate Collection with Oklahoma Blue Thumb.

Dr. April Adams and Monica Macklin had presentation proposals accepted for the International Meeting for the Association for Science Teacher Education Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, MN in January, 2010.

Dr. Eun-Jun Bang’s article “Feelings of Isolation and Coping Mechanism in Online Learning Environments: A Case Study of Asian International Students” was published in the International Journal of Learning. Also his proposal entitled “Learning Social Issues by Arguing: Practical Implementation to Sociology Education” was accepted by 2010 World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education.

Dr. John de Banzie continued his research on protein import into thylakoid membranes in the laboratory of Dr. Ralph Henry at the University of Arkansas. He attended the Biennial NISBRE Symposium in Bethesda MD. Dr. John de Banzie is conducting research on chloroplast protein import in Dr. Ralph Henry’s laboratory at the University of Arkansas.

Mark Bighley presented a lecture and performed at the 2010 Bach Sommerfest in New York City in July. He presented a lecture on the history of the Lutheran Chorale at the Bach Sommerfest 2010 in New York City in July. He also performed on a program of organ music featuring Lutheran Chorales as a part of the Sommerfest that same evening.

Mike Brown sponsored 15 students to Chicago, Illinois on a photography study away trip.

Dr. Jody Buckholtz has been working on daily online quizzes for her General Chemistry II lecture course because she found them to be very helpful in last semester’s General Chemistry 1 lecture. She is conducting research with two NSU students on the effects solvents have on the formation of charge transfer complexes. Dr. Buckholtz is working on a grant proposal with other FaST faculty members. This proposal should be submitted by Sept. 25. One of the research projects that the FaST team completed was selected for an oral presentation at the end of summer symposium, “Comparative Studies of Pulse Radiolysis on Different Aromatic Compounds in Chloroform”, Eric Butson, Anthony Wellman, Jody Buckholtz, Andrew Cook, and John Miller. She served on an NSF panel review May 24 and 25 in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Chris Burba conducted research on stretched polymer electrolytes as part of his ACS PRF grant. He is serving as a consultant for Southwest Nanotubes, Inc. and the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Burba is writing an article for submission to the Journal of Polymer Science: “Polymer Physics”.

Ms. Amber Burris-George continues service on the Tahlequah Public Schools Foundation Board.

Dr. Pamela Christol attended the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Congress as the District XIII Director (OK, NM, TX). She facilitated the Issues Forum related to science literacy at the NSTA National Congress in Nevada and facilitated two Summer Academy grants.

Dr. Cindy Cisar gave a presentation on a laboratory exercise which she developed with Dr. John de Banzie entitled “Coliforms Everywhere! Using Microbiology to Teach the Scientific Methods” at the American Society for Microbiology Conference for Undergraduate Educators (ASMCUE) in San Diego, CA May 20-23, 2010.

Dr. Cindy Cisar presented a poster at the 2nd American Society for Microbiology Antimicrobial Resistance in Zoonotic and Foodborne Pathogens in Animals, Human, and the Environment Conference in Toronto, Canada June 8-11, 2010. The title of the presentation was “Multi-year and Season Study on Antibiotic Resistance in Aeromonads Upstream and Downstream of a Wastewater Treatment Plan”.

Dr. Cindy Cisar and her student Dawn Kennedy attended the National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence (NISBRE) in Bethesda, Maryland June 16-18, 2010. Ms. Kennedy presented a poster entitled “Effect of Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent on Antimicrobial Resistance in Aeromonads”. 

Dr. Cindy Cisar and her student Sarah Richardson attended the Summer Undergraduate Research Conference at OUHSC in Oklahoma City on July 23, 2010. Ms. Richardson was awarded an INBRE Summer Research Internship. She presented a poster on her research project entitled: “Characterization of Fluoroquinolone Resistance in Environmental Isolates of Escherichia coli”.

Dr. Cindy Cisar, Department of Natural Sciences, assisted Dr. Mary Savin, Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville with a Food and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship (NNF) Grant. Dr. Cisar provided information about NSU and NSU students and wrote a letter of support for the proposal agreeing to assist Dr. Savin with recruiting NSU students for the Master’s program in CSES.

Kris Copeland performed in the “Putnam County Spelling Bee” with the Muskogee Little Theatre in August.

Jason Dovel performed at the Oberlin Conservatory’s Baroque Performance Institute on the natural trumpet and cornetto in Oberlin, Ohio. Also in June, he had articles published in the International Trumpet Guild Journal and Music Educators Journal. He also studied privately with Chris Gekker at the University of Maryland. He published two articles in refereed journals this summer. “Teaching Tongue-Tied Students: Ankyloglossia in the Instrumental Classroom” was published in the June 2010 Music Educators Journal. “The Influence of Jazz on Eugène Bozza’s Caprice, Concertino, Rustiques, Rhapsodie, and Frigariana” was published in the June 2010 International Trumpet Guild Journal.

Dana Eversole co-directed summer camps for local kids in a variety of topics including science camp, reading camp, drama camp and others. There were several stories about this in the Tahlequah newspaper and the Tulsa World. Over 200 children attended one or more camps.

Dr. Phyllis Fife, director of the Center for Tribal Studies, and Dr. Brad Montgomery-Anderson, assistant professor of English, delivered a joint presentation with Dr. Gloria Sly, Cherokee Nation TsaLaGi Cultural Resource Center, and Ms. Norma Marshall, College of the Muscogee Nation Language Department, on May 14 at the Intertribal Language Summit held at Bacone College in Muskogee. The presentation topic was “University-Tribal Relationships” focusing on institutional collaborations for revitalizing Native languages. Examples discussed were the development of the Cherokee Language degree programs at NSU and the establishment of the College of the Muscogee Nation. The summit was sponsored by the Intertribal Council of the Five Tribes (Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole).

Center for Tribal Studies director Dr. Phyllis Fife recently participated in a panel discussion on Muscogee (Creek) cultural arts and tribal leadership. The panel discussion was interactive through ITV with Dr. Craig Womack’s Community Approaches to Academic Research class at Emory University in Atlanta. Dr. Womack is a distinguished author and professor of American Indian literature. The six member panel included artists, educators, writers, and a former principal chief, all of whom are Fife’s siblings. The class activity was facilitated at the Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology Okmulgee site by Dr. Rosemary Maxey, who provides technical support for connecting the Emory classroom with local guest speakers from the Muscogee Nation. Dr. Maxey, Dr. Womack, and all panelists are Muscogee (Creek) tribal citizens.

Les Hannah, associate professor of English, participated in the Cherokee Nation Curriculum Convention and is one of four people charged with (re)writing the scaleable curriculum that will eventually be used in higher education for Cherokee Studies (Native Studies) in several university systems.

Ande Kidanemariam is pleased to report that he has had a peer-reviewed journal article, “Rethinking Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Africa: A Quest for an Integrated Model,” accepted for publication by the Journal of Third World Studies over the summer.

Dr. David Lewerenz gave two presentations at the Department of Rehabilitation Services Expo 2010 on August 4 in Muskogee. The presentations were titled “Your Student’s Eye Exam” and “Common Causes of Visual Impairment in Children”. He attended a meeting of Low Vision Educators at the University of Indiana July 15-17 sponsored by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry. He also attended the Summer Invitational Clinical Research Institute at Ohio State University from July 19-23, sponsored jointly by the American Academy of Optometry and the American Optometric Association.

David Linebarger had three poems accepted for publication this summer. “In the Outfield” and “Virgin of the Rocks” will appear in The Listening Eye, and “Track Homes” will appear in The Iodine Poetry Journal. For the first time in his life, he also won four tennis tournaments this summer without cramping once in the 100 degree heat.

Dr. Edgarita Long has been invited to write a feature article for the ASHA Leader, a professional monthly publication. Dr. Long is also the national contact person for the ASHA Native American Caucus.

Tiffany Maher has written 12 guided inquiry based experiments for General Chemistry 1 Lab. These experiments replace the laboratory textbook and are available to students online for printing, reducing the cost to students.

Dr. Kathi McDowell is the NSU campus coordinator for the Oklahoma Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) sponsored by the National Science Foundation. This five year program is in its second year and has a yearly budget of $62,750. This program is designed for recruitment and retention of students in these science-related areas. The invited speakers (faculty) included Dr. April Adams, Dr. Pam Christol, Dr. Craig Clifford, Dr. Pam Hathorn, Dr. Daryl Linde, Ms. Monica Macklin, Dr. Rick Matzen, Dr. Marvita McGuire, Dr. Anand Sukhan and Dr. Martin Venneman.

Dr. Kathi McDowell, Dr. Pamela Christol and Dr. Martha Parrott conducted a one week Summer Academy program entitled “Get Green for Blue: Outdoor Investigations to Connect Water to You” sponsored by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for a budget of $14,125.

John Mercer sponsored 14 students on a study away trip to Ashland, Oregon for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. This is the third consecutive year for this trip.

Dr. Alexandria Miller was appointed to the Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision for Dietetic Licensure.

Ms. Lori Murray was elected President, Region Nurses Association 3 for 2010-11. Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand continues for a second year as RNA 3 representative to the Board of Directors, Oklahoma Nurses Association. She was the 2009-10 RNA 3 President.

A Master of Science in Nursing – Education program received final approval on June 28, 2010. The MSN Program was initiated this fall semester with 12 students, six full-time and six part-time from Oklahoma and Arkansas. Dr. Jodi Gooden joined Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand to teach the MSN courses.

Tony O’seland was elected Commander of Blackfox-Hartness American Legion Post 135 here in Tahlequah, Oklahoma as well as sustained as the Department of Oklahoma District 2A Chaplain. He did two impromptu workshops on veterans education and NSU at the Department of Oklahoma American Legion Conference in Oklahoma City on July 9 and 10.

Dr. Karen Patterson is the Oklahoma Representative to the ASHA Speech-Language Pathology Advisory Council. She obtained a continued Scottish Rite Service Provision Grant that funds the Muskogee Clinic.

Through the effort of Dr. Karen Patterson, Ms. Amber Burris-George, and Mr. Dennis Tibbits, the SLP Program is contracting with Locust Grove, Brushy, Belfonte, and Belfonte/Bell Schools to provide speech and language services ($100,000). These contracts expand clinical sites for SLP graduate students, allow employment of a full-time SLP clinical instructor, and provide funds for professional development.

Tommy Poole

1. voted 2009-2010 Oklahoma Collegiate Jazz Educator of the Year
2. headlined at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame on June 27
3. headlined at Ciao Primo Room in Tulsa on July 18.

Robyn and Scott Pursley and a number of theatre students worked with recording artist Becky Hobbs to workshop a play on Nanyehi, Sacred Woman of the Cherokee. Music from the play will be performed during the Cherokee National Holiday.

Robyn Pursley directed the River City Players productions this summer with the help of Tommy Poole, Margie Green, and Scott Pursley. They received terrific feedback from a large audience of patrons including campus colleagues, students, local citizens, and tourists.

Dr. Mia Revels completed and submitted a final report on 10 years of Swainson’s Warbler Research in Oklahoma to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. She participated in the J.T. Nickel Nature Conservancy Nature Preserve Annual Butterfly Count along with many other professionals and amateur butterfly lovers. Dr. Mia Revels explored the Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Arkansas (on the Little River) in preparation for future Swainson’s Warbler Research activities. They have alligators down there.

Amy Aldridge Sanford received notice that her article “‘I Can Air My Feelings Instead of Eating Them: Blogging as Social Support for the Morbidly Obese” is now officially accepted for publication in Communication Studies. The essay should appear in Volume 62, Issue 1 of the journal that will be published in February 2011.

Dr. Ron Schaefer is a member of the Oklahoma Speech-Hearing Association (OSHA) Board of Directors.

Dave Scott, Jenny Dixon (NSU alum, working on PhD in Missouri) and Mike Chanslor did final editing and will be in the July-September issue of Communication Quarterly, the journal of the Eastern Communication Association for “FAIR and the PBS NewsHour: Assessing Diversity and Elitism in News Sourcing.”

Donna Shelton conducted an instructional technology workshop, “Wikis and World Languages,” for members of the Oklahoma Foreign Language Teachers’ Association August 5 and 6 at Oklahoma City University. Approximately 25 secondary and university-level educators from across the state participated. She conducted an instructional technology workshop, “Wikis and World Languages,” for members of the Oklahoma Foreign Language Teachers’ Association August 5 and 6 at Oklahoma City University. Approximately 25 secondary and university-level educators from across the state participated.

Dr. Amy Smith continued to assist in the planning of the Ozark Plateau Summit to be held at NSU in October.

Tim Saucier acted in “House” and “Garden” with the Playhouse Theatre Tulsa. Performances were staged at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.

Faculty at the College of Optometry recently participated in the annual NSUOCO faculty retreat. Faculty teach in classroom and clinics on the Tahlequah campus as well as Rural Eye Program clinics in Stilwell, Sallisaw, Jay, Salina, Muskogee and Nowata.

Dr. Erik Terdal continued his collaboration with Coppola Resorts and Bullrun Overseas Ltd. on wildlife in Belize, receiving more than 1,000 additional photographs to analyze. He led the "Science at the Zoo" Summer Academy for high-school youth with Drs. Christol and Wilds at the Tulsa Zoo. This project is funded by the OSRHE.

Shannon Unger, assistant professor of music, had a successful audition with the Tulsa Oratorio Choir this weekend and will be a featured soloist for a performance of “Jenkin’s The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace” in October.

The wiki Paul Westbrook created for workshop materials and resources will remain available to anyone who wants to use it, and he will continue to develop the site. 

Andrew Vassar, associate professor of humanities, was asked on a guided tour of Turkey through the Institute for Interfaith Dialogue in Tulsa and the Bosphorus Atlantic Cultural Social and Collaboration Organization in Turkey. He met with many civic, cultural, and political leaders throughout Turkey, including the mayor of the small city of Kutahya and a government minister in Nevsehir. After the 10-day trip was completed, he went on a 4-day pilgrimage to Mount Athos, the Holy Mountain of the Orthodox church, and visited several monasteries to learn more about Orthodox spirituality.

Virginia Whitkeiller received the hard copy publication for the following: Whitekiller-Drywater, V.S. (2010), “Cultural Resilience: Voices of Native American students in College Retention”. The Canadian Journal of Native Studies, 30(1), 1-19.

Dr. Sue Woods gave a presentation to the OU Family Practice Residency Program - Ramona at their academic afternoon on July 20. Her talk was “Things you Might Want to Know”. It included brief updates on miR- NAs, epigenetics, tunneling microtubules, human endogenous viruses, XMRV, Mimivirus, sputnik, PMMoV and the Milwaukee protocol for rabies. She attended the OSU- CHS Advisor Workshop on July 16 and the Webinar by Magna Publications on designing online courses on July 21.

Other News

Human and Family Sciences

• Initiated an Off Campus Degree program with 25 students recruited by Claudia Sauer, the new HFS recruiter. Accelerated 8-week courses will be offered in blended and online formats at NEO-Miami, Kiamichi Technology Center-Poteau, and EOSC-Wilburton. Dr. Penny Sommers oversees this program.
• Initiated a concurrent HFS program to High School students within Oklahoma. This is projected to grow through partnering with school counselors.

Dean and Division and Department Chairs

College of Liberal Arts

• Dr. Paul Westbrook - Dean
• Dr. Amy Aldridge-Sanford - Communication, Art and Theater
• Dr. Mark Bighley - Music and Humanities
• Dr. Les Hannah - Languages and Literature
• Dr. Chuck Ziehr - Social Sciences
• Dr. Kathryn Shahan - Social Work
• Dr. Virginia Whitekiller - Professional Studies
• Dr. Cari Keller - Criminal Justice and Legal Studies
• Major Jason Junkens - Military Science

College of Education

• Dr. Kay Grant - Dean
• Dr. Deborah Landry - Curriculum & Instruction
• Dr. Mark Giese - Health & Kinesiology
• Dr. Renee Cambiano - Educational Foundations & Leadership
• Dr. Kathryn Sanders & Dr. Richard Williams - Psychology & Counseling

College of Business & Technology

• Dr. John Schleede - Dean
• TBA - Accounting & Finance
• Dr. Anne Davey - Business Administration
• Dr. Michael Turner - IS & Technology

College of Science & Health Professions

• Dr. Martin Venneman - Dean
• Dr. April Adams - Natural Sciences
• Dr. Darryl Linde - Mathematics & Computer Science 
• Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Health Professions 

College of Optometry

• Dr. Doug Penisten

Muskogee Campus

• Dr. Tim McElroy - Dean

Library

• Dr. Sheila Collins - Dean

Broken Arrow Campus

• Dr. Christee Jenlink - Dean

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the October issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please send it to Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok.edu. The deadline for the October issue is September 30. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

New Faculty 2010

• Dr. Abia, Atogho - Chemistry, College of Science and Health Professions
• Dr. Aronson, Carl - Chemistry, College of Science and Health Professions
• Dr. Bennett, Tia - Health & Kinesiology, College of Education
• Dr. Buckley, Bryan - Economics, College of Business and Technology
• Ms. Burkhead, Sarah - Library
• Dr. Choate, Kurt - Psychology, College of Education
• Mr. Cotton, Jacob - Art, College of Liberal Arts
• Dr. Dotson, Tory - Optometry, Oklahoma College of Optometry
• Dr. Dunbar-Young, Kelly - Psychology, College of Education 
• Ms. Edwards, Katie - Health & Kinesiology, College of Education
• Dr. Feska, Ryan - Oklahoma College of Optometry
• Dr. Fisher, Jonathan - Biology, College of Science and Health Professions
• Mr. Fitzgerald, Brett - Criminal Justice, College of Liberal Arts
• Dr. Gallagher, Sarah - Oklahoma College of Optometry
• Dr. Gillman, Charity - Special Education, College of Education
• Dr. Gooden, Alexa - Nursing, College of Science and Health Professions
• Ms. Green, Andrea - Biology, College of Science and Health Professions
• Ms. Hallman, Christine - Geography, College of Liberal Arts
• Ms. Hammond, Sarah E. - Biology, College of Science and Health Professions
• Dr. Hannah, Les - English, College of Liberal Arts
• Dr. Hasselman, Raymond - Criminal Justice, College of Liberal Arts
• Mr. Havens, Jonathan - Health & Kinesiology, College of Education
• Mr. Herron, Edward - Accounting, College of Business & Technology
• Dr. Hicks, James - Physics, College of Science and Health Professions
• Mr. Dalvin, Hill - Information Systems, College of Business and Technology
• Dr. Johnson, Spencer - Oklahoma College of Optometry
• Ms. Keller, Elizabeth - Psychology & Counseling, College of Education
• Mr. Knoll, Michael - Health & Kinesiology, College of Education 
• Dr. Lee, Kimberli - English, College of Liberal Arts
• Ms. Legnon, Jodi - Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education
• Dr. Lighthizer, Nathan - Oklahoma College of Optometry
• Dr. McDaniels, Christopher - Oklahoma College of Optometry
• Dr. Min, Jeonghum - Political Science, College of Liberal Arts
• Mr. Murphy, Christopher - English, College of Liberal Arts
• Dr. Namazizadeh, Armin - Oklahoma College of Optometry
• Dr. Nehad, Omara - Chemistry, College of Science and Health Professions
• Ms. Summers, Linda - Library
• Ms. Sweeney, Sophia - EFL, College of Education
• Dr. Thompson, Tobi - Curriculum & Instruction, College of Education
• Mr. Tobey, Darren - Library
• Ms. Unger, Shannon - Music, College of Liberal Arts
• Dr. Van Den Handel, Cheryl - Political Science, College of Liberal Arts
• Ms. Woitte, Susan - Library
• Mr. Wooten, Chase - Health & Kinesiology, College of Education
• Ms. Worth, Sheri - Psychology & Counseling, College of Education

Letter from the Provost

Dear faculty and staff,

Fall has arrived, and we are fully engaged in another academic year at NSU. The accomplishments of the past year are now known and here are a few of those:

1. Our enrollment is up again, and that growth is at a manageable level
2. We had a record year for grants and contracts totaling over $6 million
3. Retention is comparable to previous years while access to NSU widened
4. New technologies and services to support learning and teaching are in place with more coming
5. We have a number of projects underway across campus that keep us moving forward in critical areas

All of the above is due to the hard work and dedication of faculty and staff who serve our students and community residents. You will see examples of that in this newsletter.

Thank you for submitting your contributions.

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Dr. April Adams wrote and submitted the NCATE Program Review for Science Education.

Drs. April Adams, John de Banzie, Spence Pilcher, Amy Smith, and Marvita McGuire coordinated the academic prioritization self-studies for the Department of Natural Sciences. NSU was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation for $623,791 for a project entitled “Renovation of the Natural Sciences Facility.” The funds will be used to renovate laboratory research space. (PI: Dr. April Adams, Co-PIs: Drs. Jessica Martin and John de Banzie, Senior Personnel: Drs. Jody Buckholtz, Chris Burba, and Anand Sukhan.)

Dr. Brad Montgomery-Anderson, assistant professor of English, spent the summer in Mexico working on a Spanish-Mayan dictionary. He has also been writing a grammar of Chontal Mayan that will be published with the dictionary. During the summer he also attended the Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Conference in Eugene, Oregon to present a talk on “Recreating a Culture of Cherokee literacy.” During the summer his chapter describing NSU's Cherokee Education Degree Program appeared in the book Building Communities and Making Connections. At the beginning of October, he attended the annual conference of the Linguistic Association of the Southwest in Las Cruces, NM to present a talk on “Alternatives to the Applicative in Chontal Mayan.” In November, the Linguistics department at the University of Buffalo is flying him out to give a talk on the Cherokee language.

Eun-Jun Bang and Satara Armstrong, assistant professors of social work, are co-authors on, "Feelings of Isolation and Coping Mechanisms in Online Learning Environments: A Case Study of Asian International Students," in The International Journal of Learning, 17(2), 343-356.

Dr. Mark Bighley, chair of the department of performing arts, served as interim organist at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New York City from Aug 18-Oct. 1. The church, located on Central Park West, just a block from Lincoln Center, is home to the longest running series featuring the church of cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach in the United States.

Dr. Jody Buckholtz is writing 40 online Blackboard quizzes that will be implemented in her General Chemistry II lecture course. She is working on a collaborative grant with three other undergraduate institutions for a polymer based research project. Dr. Buckholtz is writing two journal articles from this summer's research experience. On Sept 25, Dr. Buckholtz took eight students to OSU for the OKLSAMP 16th annual symposium.

Dr. Cindy Cisar traveled to Oklahoma City on September 2 to give a presentation on her research to the Oklahoma INBRE External Advisory Committee. Committee members were Dr. Ira Schwartz, New York Medical College; Dr. Jeffrey Osborn, Dean of the School of Science, The College of New Jersey; and Dr. Gary Olsen, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Cisar received a Junior Investigator award from the Oklahoma INBRE program which funds her current research project on antibiotic resistant bacteria.

Dr. John de Banzie coordinated a request to the Oklahoma INBRE program for an additional $40,000 in equipment funds. He attended a meeting of the Oklahoma INBRE External Advisory Committee in his capacity as program coordinator. Dr. de Banzie organized the Science and Technology Seminar series for this semester.

Rich Castillo, DO, OD has recently been appointed by the Health Resources and Services Administration to serve as a Physician Grant Reviewer. His appointment as a commissioner to the National Commission on Vision and Health has been extended for another 2 years and just attended that meeting in Washington, DC. Castillo was invited to speak at the University of California-Berkeley over Office-based ophthalmic surgery and Melanoma screening. He attended a meeting of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry where he serves as systemic disease committee chair and exam council.

Kristopher Copeland, communication instructor, received the D.J. Nabors Outstanding College Forensics Coach award at the annual Oklahoma Speech Theater Communication Association Conference on Sept. 11.

The Department of Languages and Literature will present a one-credit weekend Living Literature Seminar the weekend of Nov. 5-6, on the topic "Literature and Culture of India." Graduate and undergraduate students will learn about many facets of Indian life: ancient and modern literature, Bollywood films, Gandhi and the struggle for Independence, food, clothing, music, and dance. Students can sign up for the course right up to Nov. 5. For more information, contact Dr. Brian Cowlishaw, 444-3621.

Dr. Anne Davey has been recertified as an examiner for the Oklahoma Quality Award Foundation.

Kevin David has a book being published which includes a chapter that he co-wrote with Barry Anton, one of his colleagues from the school he taught at before NSU, the University of Puget Sound. The book, written for parents, is entitled The Parents' Guide to Psychological First Aid: Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Predictable Life Crises, and is edited by a former President of the American Psychological Association, Gerry Koocher. The chapter is called "Helping Your Child Develop and Maintain Friendships". On Sept. 22-24, Dr. David attended the Campus Compact Regional Conference for Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. Campus Compact is an organization of colleges and universities dedicated to fostering service learning, civic engagement, and community service on college campuses. Dr. Tadlock brought the conference to his attention and he learned a lot about how we can improve in this area at NSU. If you'd like more info about this organization or the conference contact Dr. David.

Dr. Jason Dovel, assistant professor of trumpet, and Dr. Anne Watson, assistant professor clarinet, performed in the Tulsa Ballet production of “Swan Lake” in September 2010.

Anita Ede and Dr. Da Ros-Voseles co-authored an article that was published in the Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education. The title is "Using the Reggio Exhibit to Enrich Teacher Candidates' Perceptions of How Children Construct and Represent Knowledge." It is about teacher research conducted while the Reggio exhibit was on the BA campus last spring and highlights some very interesting changes in the way teacher candidates viewed children's representations of knowledge after repeated visits to the exhibit.

Dr. Jonathan Fisher submitted an article titled "Laboratory and Field Measured Effects of Produced Water Infiltration of a Lake Benthos" for review to the Journal of Environmental Monitoring. Dr. Fisher and other authors submitted an article titled "Accumulation of 14CTrinitrotoluene and Related Non extractable (Bound) Residues in Eisenia fetida" for review to the journal Environmental Pollution.

Patrick Harrington, department of mathematics and computer science, defended his dissertation "Using Non cooperative Potential Games to Improve Network Security" and was awarded the Ph.D. in Computer Science from Oklahoma State University, July 2010.

Connie Henshaw, English instructor, edited the article "’I Can Air my Feelings Instead of Eating Them’: Blogging as Social Support for the Morbidly Obese" for Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford, that was accepted for publication in Communication Studies, Vol. 61. Issue 1, February 2011. Ms. Henshaw also edited four short stories “The Green Horse,” “The Dawg Days Festival,” “Pie Auction Protocol,” and “Jumping Mules” for local author Johnny Privett, August 2010 for his Country Collection series.

Ken Jones will be presenting a research proposal on remote work at the University of Arkansas-Ft. Smith on Oct. 26, which has been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed Advances in Business Research Journal.

Dr. Ande Kidanemariam, associate professor of sociology, had his article "Rethinking Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Africa: A Quest for an Integrated Model," accepted for publication in the Journal of Third World Studies.

Martin Tadlock held an open forum for all faculty, staff and students at the Webb auditorium Sept. 28. The forum included discussion on how to make NSU more student centered.

Dr. David Linebarger, professor of humanities, was the program scholar for the "Let's Talk About It, Oklahoma" series at the Miami public library in September. His presentation was on “George Washington: Founding Father”, by Richard Brookheiser.

Dr. Edie Long presented a poster about language development in Native American children at the Oklahoma Speech-Language-Hearing Association (OSHA) Convention held Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2010.

Dr. Tiffany Maher implemented 12 new laboratory experiments for CHEM 1131, General Chemistry I Laboratory, for the fall 2010 Semester. Dr. Maher co-authored an article submitted to the Journal of the American Chemical Society with Professor Mikhail Barybin of the University of Kansas titled "Linear 6,6'- Biazulenyl Framework Featuring Isocyanide Termini: Synthesis, Structure, Redox Behavior, Complexation and Self-assembly on Au(111)". She attended the second NSU Service Sunday to help prepare the Cherokee Nation Powwow grounds for the Cherokee National Holiday.

Dr. Mark Paulissen collaborated with staff at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Small Animal Imaging Core, to obtain images of brains of Little Brown Skink lizards that had been studied in Dr. Paulissen's lab. The study seeks to discover to what extent differences in learning ability are correlated with differences in brain structure in lizards. This study is funded by an NSU Faculty Research Council Grant. He served as a peer reviewer for the journals Animal Behaviour and Journal of Natural History.

Jocelyn Payne hosted Dr. Sheridan McCaffree, RUSO Executive Director, and Mr. Charlie Babb, RUSO General Counsel, as guest speakers in HIED5113: Professional Ethics and Legal Issues in Higher Education.

Jocelyn Payne coordinated the faculty/staff/student team that undertook the Democracy Wall Project at NSU-BA.

Dr. Spence Pilcher and Dr. Tiffany Maher took a group of students to the University of Central Oklahoma to observe their biodiesel reactor and learn about their process in converting waste vegetable oil into biodiesel. Dr. Pilcher attended the first meeting of the Outstanding Professors' Academy held at the University of Central Oklahoma on Sept. 17-18, 2010.

Elizabeth Rabe M.Acc., CPA, instructor of accounting, attended the September meeting of the Petroleum Accountants Society of Oklahoma (PASO) with students as a liaison. She will be attending PASO next month with more students. This summer she contacted PASO about student membership and they are now offering the students a discounted membership to the organization.

Psychology faculty and students represented NSU at the Annual Conference of Oklahoma Network for Teaching of Psychology Sept. 24 in Stillwater. Seniors Kevin Johnson and Buffy Hall presented an empirical poster with Dr. Sharon Roberts and NSU graduate co-authors Alesa Liles and Lindsey Swagerty. Mrs. Sheri Worth, new instructor in psychology, and Dr. Roberts presented a non-empirical poster. The NSU delegation also included new members of Dr. Roberts’ PSYC Research Group, senior Joel Hoyt and junior Heather Adams. All enjoyed the opportunity to hear talks by internationally known psychologists and to network with professionals and peers about preparation for graduate study and possible futures.

Dr. Ron Schaefer and Dr. Karen Patterson are on the OSHA Convention Committee.

Dr. Michelle Shuler, along with co-author Katrina Cook (PhD, Texas A&M San Antonio), recently had a book chapter titled “Spiritual Autobiography: A Transformative Journey for a Counselor in Training” accepted for publication in the soon to be published book titled Pathways to Transformation: Learning in Relationship by Boden, C. J. & Kippers, S. M.

Dr. Penny Sommers presented "Guidelines for Having a Winning National Project" at the Phi Upsilon Omicron national meeting. Phi Upsilon Omicron, the national honor society in Family and Consumer Sciences, awarded the NSU chapter the national first place award for their service project. The NSU chapter worked with Greenwood Elementary on one step in the school becoming a Great Expectation school. The award was presented to three students and Dr. Sommers at the national meeting in Savannah, GA.

Sophia Sweeney served as a proposal reviewer for the 2011 Association for Science Teacher Education International Conference. Sophia Sweeney and Dr. Bill McComas (University of Arkansas) had a proposal accepted for the 2011 Association for Science Teacher Education International Conference. The presentation is entitled "Early Elementary Teachers' Beliefs about the Nature of Science."

The first cohort for the Department of Social Work’s new Child Welfare Traineeship has been selected for the fall of 2010. Charles Samford, Hannah LaBounty, Mary Brown, Makesha Hamby, Tiffany Preston, Dawnena Mackey, Kari Fernley, Seth White, and Wendy Palma, will participate in professional development and leadership skills which will lead to a Child Welfare Specialization upon graduation. Congratulations to all who have been afforded this exciting opportunity. The grant PI is Dr. Virginia Whitekiller and the curriculum coordinator is Ms. Toni Hail.

Dr. Rick Wiliams and Dr. Michelle Shuler attended the Oklahoma Drug and Alcohol Professional Counselor Association Conference in Norman, Oklahoma Oct. 5-6 to promote NSU’s Masters in Substance Abuse Program. Their goals were to build relationships, recruit potential students, and gather data for their proposed study titled “Attitudes toward Internet Courses: A Study of Alcohol and Drug Counselors in Oklahoma”. The third annual Da Vinci Forum was held at the Broken Arrow campus on Sept. 28. President Don Betz served as moderator for the evening. The topic of discussion was “The New Normal: Creative Transformation in New Conditions”. The panel discussion featured 2010 Da Vinci Fellows from across Oklahoma. Dr. Linda Wilson from NSU’s College of Education was among the 2010 Da Vinci Fellows participating in the discussion. Dr. Wilson is an Associate Professor in Elementary Education. She is an innovator and leader in the use of multiple technologies in the classroom. Those technologies which she has utilized include teacher created podcasts, Smart boards, Nintendo Wii, YouTube clips, blogs, and cell phone mobile digital technology. Dr. Wilson is the first professor to be distinguished as a Da Vinci Fellow from any College of Education in the state.

Dr. Sue Woods attended the OU Counselors Workshop at OUHSC on Sept. 10. Dr. Woods and Sallie Ruskoski obtained some glassware donated from the OSU-CHS microbiologists, Dr. Conrad and Dr. Glass. Most of these supplies will be used in the BA chemistry labs. Dr. Woods received some donated immunology supplies from the Red Cross Labs in Tulsa. The Pre-Professional Health Club in Broken Arrow had Lindsey Kilpatrick from OSU-CHS and four first year medical students as guest speakers at the meeting on Sept. 4, 2010. Gene Johnson was also there to assist members needing to shadow health care professionals. Dr. Sue Woods is the club sponsor.

Other News

Math/ Science faculty currently serving on the board of the Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teacher Association:

Dr. Martha Parrott - President 2010-2011

Dr. Steven Wilkinson - Past President

Dr. Pamela Christol - President Elect

Dr. April Adams - Science Division Elementary Director

Ms. Monica Macklin - Science Division College/ University Director

Dr. Dorothy Radin - Math Division/ Middle School Director

Mr. Max Ellis - Math Division/ High School Director

Dr. Deborah Carment - Math Division/ College University Director

Headed to Harlem: NSU’s College of Education Teams up with the Maryetta Public School and Cherokee Nation

Dr. Renee Cambiano, Dr. Elizabeth Elias, and Mr. Kevin Stretch recently returned from a four day trip to Harlem, New York. The Cherokee Nation (CN) asked this research team (which also includes Dr. Ron Cambiano) to accompany them to Harlem to learn more about Geoffrey Canada’s Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ). In the Cherokee Nation’s efforts to replicate the HCZ’s model of community renewal and development through an emphasis on education, this collaborative group from NSU and the CN is hoping to make a difference that influences many future generations. The Maryetta Public School, located in Adair County, has agreed to be the model school for research and implementation. The NSU Research Team will be conducting a Needs Assessment, consulting with Maryetta and the Cherokee Nation, and helping them write parts of the Promise Generations Federal Grant in the spring as they attempt to make this dream a reality. The NSU team is currently in discussions with the Maryetta Public School regarding a closer partnership with the possibility of NSU having an on-site classroom housed at the school. The goal of this partnership will be to hold future reading clinics, COE classes, and family literacy nights at Maryetta.

The DaVinci Institute is a unique and private partnership of leaders in higher education across the state of Oklahoma. Dr. Martha Parrott, department of mathematics and computer science, is a DaVinci Institute Fellow and represents Northeastern State University on the DaVinci Institute Board. Often referred to as “Oklahoma's Think Tank”, the DaVinci Institute seeks to improve the quality of education in Oklahoma and, by doing so, help Oklahomans carry their creative talents to the world. The DaVinci Institute is a contributing sponsor of the World Creativity Forum, an international event scheduled for Nov. 15-17, 2010.

Educational Talent Search Staff Present at National Conference

• The Council for Opportunity in Education held their 29th Annual Conference in San Diego, CA on Sept. 1-4 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. The conference theme was “Fitting STEM into the College Opportunity Equation” which featured over 100 thought-provoking plenary and concurrent sessions. The NSU ETS staff, Diane Walker, Ryan Eller and Sheila Fritts attended the conference along with over 1,500 TRIO professionals from across the nation.
• On Sept. 1, Ryan Eller presented a three hour pre-conference workshop on “Incorporating Social Networks into Your TRIO Program”. Ryan has presented shorter versions of this workshop at the state, regional and national levels. He has been repeatedly asked to present this workshop because social networking is incredibly popular with high school and college students.
• The COE board invited him to present one of ten pre-conference workshops at the national conference. The presentation focused on TRIO programs, such as Educational Talent Search and Upward Bound, and how Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube and other websites can be used to reach the programs’ students. Ryan also concentrated on utilizing technology to develop contacts, enhancing workshops and meetings, interacting with parents and administrators and further preparing students for postsecondary success.
• Diane Walker and Shelia Fritts presented a breakout session on Friday morning titled “Following the Leader, Leading the Follower”. Their session centered on leadership as they facilitated an adventure based-experiential activity with over 30 participants. The session focused on helping TRIO professionals enhance their skills with sequencing, facilitating and processing group activism and relating the experience to a significant life skill.
• One of the highlights of the conference was the Educational Opportunity Banquet which has been a long running tradition. John Quinones, co-anchor, “Primetime” and Host, “What Would You Do?”, ABC News, Alumnus, Upward Bound, St. Mary’s University, was the Master of Ceremonies. After the banquet, both Shelia and Diane took advantage of a photo-op with this TRIO achiever and champion.
• Besides presenting, Diane and Sheila also moderated breakout sessions on Thursday. Sessions that the NSU ETS staff found most informative and beneficial were “Cultivating an Active Parent Support Group for Your Program”, “STEMM Pipeline Resources: Expanding Options for TRIO Students”, “Department of Education Update on Awarding Prior Experience Points for Talent Search Projects” and the “Overview of the Talent Search Competition”.

Publication

Kwok, J. and Freeman, G., 2010, "The Economics of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Licensing," to be published in Journal of Telecommunications Management, Vol.3.3., 1-15.

Stevenson, D. and J. Starkweather. “PM Critical Competency Index: IT Execs Prefer Soft Skills”. International Journal of Project Management, 28(7), pp. 663-671, October, 2010

Starkweather, J. and D. Stevenson. "PM Certification as a Core Competency: Necessary But Not Sufficient" Project Management Journal, forthcoming, Fall 2010.

Stevenson, D. and J. Starkweather. Chapter 4: "The Impact of Project Duration on IT Project Management Success Factors". Project Management. Nova Science Publishers, forthcoming Fall, 2010.

Starkweather, J. and D. Stevenson. Chapter: "IT Hiring Criteria vs. Valued IT Competencies". Managing IT Resources: Considerations for Organizations and Personnel. IGI Publishing. Forthcoming, Fall 2010

Paper Under Review

Kwok, J. and Freeman. G., 2010, "CEO Duality: an Endogenous Decision," under review by the Journal of Business and Finance Research.

Proceedings

Bekkering, E. , Kwok, J and Kern, D. , 2010, "Assessment of Learning: Test the Class, Not the Students,”accepted for proceedings and presentation at ISECON in October 2010. They also presented in May 2010 at the 2010 Hawaii International Conference on Business (Honolulu, Hawaii).

Kwok, J. and Rabe, E., 2010, "Case and Teaching Notes: What Went Wrong With Starbucks?" Southwestern Finance Conference Proceedings, Dallas, TX. Presented at both SWFC and SWCRC (Dallas, TX) in March 2010.

Presentations

Kwok, J. and Rabe, E., 2010, "The Economics of Sustainability: Environmental Accounting and Capital Budgeting," presented at the 2010 Hawaii International Conference on Business in May 2010 at Honolulu, Hawaii.

Kwok, J. and Rabe, E., 2010, "Knowledge versus Skill-Based Learning: Application of Schema Theory," presented at 2010 Oklahoma Higher Education Teaching and Learning Conference in April 2010 at Broken Arrow, OK.

Kwok, J. and Rabe, E., 2010, "Effectiveness of Service-based Learning: Evidence from School-based VITA Programs," presented at both the 2010 National Conference on Learner-Centered Teaching in April 2010 at Tulsa, OK, and the 2010 Oklahoma Higher Education Teaching and Learning Conference in April 2010 at Broken Arrow, OK.

Payne, J. and Cambiano, R., 16-20 June 2010: "Citizenship: One Principle, Multiple Perspectives," research presentation at the 2010 American Democracy Project Conference in Providence, RI.

Deans and Division & Department Chairs

College of Liberal Arts

• Dr. Paul Westbrook - Dean
• Dr. Amy Aldridge-Sanford - Communication, Art and Theater
• Dr. Mark Bighley - Music and Humanities
• Dr. Les Hannah - Languages and Literature
• Dr. Chuck Ziehr - Social Sciences
• Dr. Kathryn Shahan - Social Work
• Dr. Virginia Whitekiller - Professional Studies
• Dr. Cari Keller - Criminal Justice and Legal Studies
• Major Jason Junkens - Military Science

College of Education

• Dr. Kay Grant - Dean
• Dr. Deborah Landry - Curriculum & Instruction
• Dr. Mark Giese - Health & Kinesiology
• Dr. Renee Cambiano - Educational Foundations & Leadership
• Dr. Kathryn Sanders & Dr. Richard Williams - Psychology & Counseling

College of Business & Technology

• Dr. John Schleede - Dean
• TBA - Accounting & Finance
• Dr. Anne Davey - Business Administration
• Dr. Michael Turner - IS & Technology

College of Science & Health Professions

• Dr. Martin Venneman - Dean
• Dr. April Adams - Natural Sciences
• Dr. Darryl Linde - Mathematics & Computer Science
• Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Health Professions College of Optometry
• Dr. Doug Penisten

Muskogee Campus

• Dr. Tim McElroy - Dean

Library

• Dr. Sheila Collins - Dean

Broken Arrow Campus

• Dr. Christee Jenlink - Dean

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the November issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please send it to Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok.edu. The deadline for the November issue is October 30. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Letter from the Provost

Thank you for your contributions to the Academic Affairs newsletter, the Academic Times. Sharing the activities and accomplishments of our faculty, staff, and students is critical for several reasons:

1. Public awareness concerning the value of our work and its impact on residents of our local and regional communities is vital to garnering support for that work.
2. We are in difficult economic times with a huge turnover of political leadership, many of whom know little about higher education.
3. NSU is a learning community where everyone should be dedicated to intellectual development; to teaching and learning. Sharing our work helps us realize that we are all connected within that learning community.

Please keep the contributions coming. We promise to continue spreading the word about what we do at NSU.

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Dr. Jude Abia presented a poster at the Oklahoma Research Day entitled, "Electrochemical Sensor Technology for Biological Applications". He also attended the Creativity World Forum held in Oklahoma City. He now serves as a member of the editorial team for the journals: International Journal of Chemistry; Modern Applied Science. He has also reviewed two manuscripts, one for each of the afore-mentioned journals.

Dr. Pamela Christol took 15 students to Lincoln Elementary School in Pryor to teach science inquiries to special needs children. She had a Disney Planet Challenge booth at the Science Teachers Association of Texas Conference in Houston. Dr. Christol had a booth at the Oklahoma Science Teachers Association in Edmond. She has been coordinating the vendors/exhibitors and the presenters information for the Northeastern OK Math and Science Teachers Association.

Dr. Cindy Cisar was invited to speak at the Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute (OWRRI) Water Research Symposium in Norman, OK. The title of her talk was "Multi-Year and -Season Study on Antibiotic Resistance in Aeromonads Upstream and Downstream of a Wastewater Treatment Plant". Dr. Cisar also served as a judge for student poster awards. She was invited to speak at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences First Friday Seminar series. The title of her talk was "Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent and Antibiotic Resistance: An Inconvenient Link?”

Dr. John de Banzie served as a judge for the poster session at the Arkansas INBRE Research Conference

Sarah Richardson, a student in Dr. Cindy Cisar's lab, presented a poster at Oklahoma Research Day at Cameron University. The title of the poster was "Characterization of Ofloxacin Resistance in Environmental Isolates of Escherichia coli".

Dr. Kathi McDowell attended the Oklahoma Academy of Science meeting at the Broken Arrow Campus of NSU. She was elected Vice Chair of the Science Education section. She brought 38 genetics students to the meeting. She attended Oklahoma Research Day at Cameron University. She brought 57 genetics students. They displayed 12 posters representing team projects on bioInformatic related analysis of disease genes. She attended a meeting of the External Advisory Committee and Campus Coordinators meeting for the Oklahoma NSF-STEP. She presented the report for NSU’s program.

Dr. Mark Paulissen chaired the Zoology Paper and Poster session and the Biological Sciences Division Meeting at the 99th Annual Oklahoma Academy of Sciences Technical Meeting at NSU-Broken Arrow. Two of his students presented posters at the meeting: (1) Jordan Johnson: "Associative learning capabilities in Sceloporus undulatus, the Eastern Fence Lizard"; (2) Brian Becker: "Sexual dimorphism in the head size of the Little Brown Skink, Scincella lateralis". Dr. Paulissen and STEP student Emily DeMoss presented a poster at Oklahoma Research Day at Cameron University in Lawton entitled: "Forebrain size, gender, and spatial learning in the Little Brown Skink lizard, Scincella lateralis".

Dr. Spence Pilcher attended the Outstanding Professors' Academy on "Conflict" in Norman on Nov. 19-20, 2010.

Dr. Dorothy Radin and Dr. Teresa Williams (ORU) have an ongoing partnership with Chelsea Hampton of Tulsa's Job Corp to introduce students in the transitions class to the ACT assessment tests. These students are in the final phases of vocational training, completing GEDs, and preparing to enter the workforce or postsecondary institutions.

Jason Dovel won an audition for a position in the trumpet section of the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas.

Fountain, Runnels and Aman are involved in a research project with four other political science majors, Katie Fallen, Dylan Ward, Melissa Weems and Misty Grady. Under the guidance of political science faculty members Ron Becker, Dan Savage and Jeonghum Min, the seven students have constructed, and are conducting, a survey of the ideological attitudes of Democratic voters in Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District. The presentation by Fountain, Runnels and Aman was well received at the conference, with several attendees asking for copies of the research. The group also plans to present its research at the National Social Science Association Conference in Las Vegas in the spring. In addition, the group plans to submit one or two papers based on an analysis of the survey’s results for publication in the OPSA’s and the NSSA’s peer-reviewed journals.

Mr. Chris Garland and the department of Social Work received a $24,467 grant from Oklahoma Department of Human Services through The University of Oklahoma. This is Year 17 of a contract to provide services to enhance the well-being of children and families in Oklahoma through professional education and training programs focused on developing and improving future child welfare services providers. Educational allowances to students selected to participate will be awarded on a semester basis. Students will be under contract for the required commitments of the award. This will be the final award year of this program.

Brent Huggins presented his research on “Revaluation of the Chinese Yuan.” Three other students, Megan Fountain, Mitch Runnels, and Johnny Aman presented their research on “Voter Attitudes in Oklahoma’s Second Congressional District.”

As an award-winning member of the Watercolor USA Honor Society, associate professor of art, Lance Hunter was invited to exhibit in Rhode Island in Watercolor NOW 2011. The exhibition will be held Jan. 9-28 at the Rhode Island Watercolor Society's Slater Memorial Park Gallery in Pawtucket.

Dr. Dan Savage brought four students to the Oklahoma Political Science Association’s Nov. 2010 conference at Rogers State University in Claremore. Three of those students made a presentation on the preliminary results of a survey being conducted by several political science students, Dr. Ron Becker, Dr. Jeonghum Min, and Dr. Savage. The survey is of Democratic voters in Oklahoma’s 2nd Congressional District and is designed to measure ideological attitudes. The 2nd District is one of the few in the southern United States, and the only one in Oklahoma, that has not realigned with the Republican Party. Political Science majors Megan Fountain, Johnny Aman and Mitch Runnels accompanied Dr. Savage to the conference and made the presentation. A fourth student, Brent Huggins, also attended the conference and presented a paper he wrote for Professor Cheryl Van Den Handel on the valuation of Chinese currency.

Dr. Donna Shelton gave a presentation titled "Introducing Personal Learning Networks to Future World Language Teachers" at the annual conference of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in Boston.

Amy Aldridge Sanford, Cari Keller, and Amber Fite presented a workshop on recommendation letters at the Oklahoma Women in Higher Education conference at UCO in November.

Dr. Anne Watson spent a week in Tampa, FL recording new works for wind instruments for Carl Fischer, LLC.

Kristopher Copeland was accepted to present "Assessing the Basic Speech Course" at the Central States Communication Association Conference this April.

Shannon Unger’s proposal to offer a lecture/recital on "The Deepest Desire" (Jake Heggie with lyrics by Sister Helen Prejean) with flautist Patricia Surmon and pianist Ron Chioldi was accepted for CMS Little Rock conference in March.

Seven students were selected for the 2011 Oklahoma Intercollegiate Honor Band which will take place as part of the OMEA convention in January. The guest conductor is Michael Haithcock, who is the Director of Bands at the University of Michigan. Their performance was on Jan. 20 at the International Ballroom of the Downtown Doubletree.

Amanda Jesperson, flute
Jonathan Rice, bassoon
Kandis Bardell, clarinet
Timothy Moore, trumpet
Trevor Moore, trombone
Ryunosuke Hamada, trombone
Eric Schmidt, string bass

The first week of November was a good one for students in the political science program because of their performances at two state events:

1.  At the state capitol in Oklahoma City the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature met for its biannual mock legislative session on Nov. 4-8. NSU’s contingent of twenty-seven students competed with over twenty Oklahoma colleges and universities. NSU’s chapter of OIL meets every Thursday evening in the UC at 8:00. Led by Dustin Woods, the weekly meetings are used to train students to write, debate, and pass legislation. Some students also play executive, judicial, and journalism roles. All training is designed to prepare students for the five-day mock legislative sessions held once per semester at the state capitol. The training proved to be effective as the NSU contingent was awarded the trophy for being the Best House Delegation. In addition, political science majors Katie Fallen and Tyler Keen won personal honors. Fallen was chosen Second Runner Up for best legislation for her proposed reforms for the Department of Human Services, and Keen was chosen First Runner Up for Best Freshman Delegate. Along with the awards won, NSU students also played important leadership roles. Political science major Amber Buker served as Attorney General at the session and communications major Stephen Rogers was Speaker of the House.
2. Four political science majors presented their research at the annual Oklahoma Political Science Association Conference at Rogers State University in Claremore.

The paper "Group Assessment of Learning: Test the Class, Not the Students" authored by Ernst Bekkering, Julia Kwok and David Kern, was recognized as a meritorious paper at the Information System Education Conference and was automatically accepted for publication in the Information Systems Education Journal. The paper describes the development of a new methodology to demonstrate student performance in higher education. Developing proper learning assessment methods is crucial to effective teaching.

Ken Jones and Dr. Michael Landry completed the publication of 22 electronic tests for Blackboard application in coordination with the McGraw-Hill Publishers text: Supply Management 8th Ed. by Burt, Petcavage, and Pinkerton. The tests were triple-checked for accuracy and functionality before being distributed. The Blackboard tests are now authorized and being distributed by Richard Hercher, Executive Editor of Operations and Decision Sciences, McGraw- Hill/Irwin, Burr Ridge, IL, to Instructors using the text.

The case, "Conflict between Doing Well and Doing Good? Capital Budgeting Case - Coors,” authored by Julia Kwok and Elizabeth Rabe, was published in the 2010 Nov./Dec. issue of Journal of Business Case Studies (Volume 6, Number 6). The case describes how Coors, the first major U.S. brewery to produce an alternative fuel, created a bio-mass alternative fuel from waste. The ethanol project presents Coors an opportunity to be an innovative, environmentally friendly, and community-minded company.

Student Team led "Race for Life" 5K-10K run on the NSU-BA campus with 126 participants. This was the maiden event for the charity for One to the Other Ministries--medical missions to foreign countries. Student Team also worked with John 3:16 Mission in Tulsa, OK, and coordinated a canned food drive for the Mingo Valley School. The student contest generated over 3200 cans of food for the Holiday Meals distribution.

Dr. Castillo gave five hours worth of lectures and conducted a workshop on office-based surgical procedures at the Multistate Surgical Procedures for Optometric Physician's course held at NSU-BA on Dec. 4-5. He attended the National Board of Examiners in Optometry meeting in Charlotte, NC Dec. 4 - 8, where he served as exam council and chair on the systemic disease committee. He has been invited to speak at the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association Winter Seminar in January. He will be lecturing over advances in eye care technology to the D.O. colleagues.

David Lewerenz, OD, presented two lectures at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Optometry in San Francisco last November. The presentations were titled,“Determining Statutory Blindness and Visual Disability” and “In the Middle: Helping Visually Impaired Patients with Their Mid-Range Needs”.

Grant Project: AISES American Indian Science & Engineering Society Spring 2011 Sponsor: Oklahoma EPSCoR-Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.

Amount: $5,336.00 

PI or Director: Dr. Phyllis Fife

Goal of Project: Funds to assist AISES students with travel and operating expenses for designated conferences and symposiums. This is the second award obtained by Dr. Phyllis Fife for the AISES program this fiscal year.

Grant Project: ACT Preparation Program Sponsor: AT&T Foundation

Amount: $10,000.00

PI or Director: Mr. Jerry Cook

Goal of Project: AT&T contributed $10,000 to Northeastern State University (NSU) in Tahlequah to assist in the funding of an ACT college preparation program for students at Fort Gibson Public Schools. The contribution is funded by the AT&T Foundation; the philanthropic arm of AT&T. NSU is developing an enhanced program that combines academic training and ACT test preparation skills with ongoing tracking and analyzing of student achievement levels to boost test scores and success at the college level.

The program will be offered to 120 Fort Gibson seniors who have taken the ACT test at least once. The students’ test scores will be monitored and analyzed by a team of NSU specialists who will work with the students to maximize each student’s ACT scores. The ACT initiative at Fort Gibson is part of NSU's Community Outreach and Recruitment Effort. Faculty and staff join CORE teams and assist the university with initiatives to increase enrollment, alumni connection and parental involvement.

CORE goals are to increase enrollment through connection with prospective students, recognize the achievements of students, alumni and community members, increase institutional exposure and increase financial support and the engagement of alumni and parents with the university.

The contribution to NSU is one of 13 announced this month by AT&T that are going to Oklahoma colleges and schools to bolster higher education and student programs.

During the fall 2010 semester, NSU was asked to support the Tulsa Metro Chamber's Talent Dividend Program. One focus of this program is the College Access Career Readiness Coaching program (CACR). This program allows professionals within the Tulsa Metropolitan community to volunteer two hours a month and serve as a resource coach to help students in Tulsa Public Middle and High Schools better prepare for their next step. An inaugural group received training in December and will begin their sessions in January. The goal is to increasing college going rates and degree attainment thus positively impacting the economic forecast for Tulsa. Currently, four NSU staff members are committed to this program. Mrs. Nadia Hall, Mrs. Bonnie Dickson, Mrs. Regina Portman and Mr. Jerrett Phillips, all from the Broken Arrow Enrollment Management Center, are serving at East Central High School during the spring semester.

Jackie Schumaker gave a presentation on “Descriptive Cataloging of Audiovisual Recordings” at "Cataloging 101" the Oklahoma Library Association Technical Services Roundtable Fall 2010 Workshop in Midwest City.

Tom Rink has been asked to serve on two advisory boards: The Vatterott College Program Advisory Council for the Criminal Justice Program and the University of Oklahoma, School of Library and Information Studies Advisory Board.

Linda West presented a poster presentation in Macon, Ga. She presented "More is better: enhancing access to classical music on CDs" at the OnLine AudioVisual Catalogers 2010 conference. She upgraded Library web pages over the summer and edited over 400 pages including content and design to conform to University standards.

Harriett Hobbs, Samantha Clifford, Jeanne Pry, Lou Ann Rhea, and Jenifer Rodgers attended the Oklahoma Library Association’s Technical Services Roundtable workshop on Cataloging 101 which included sessions on Books, AV recordings, E-resources, Realia, and Serials in Midwest City.

Vickie Sheffler, Delores Sumner, Susan Woitte, Peggy Kaney, and Sarah Burkhead were presenters at the Native American Symposium at the University of Arkansas on Nov. 3, 2010.

Dr. Sheila Collins has been named to the American College and Research Libraries Advocacy Committee and the American College and Research Libraries Traditional Cultural Expressions Task Force.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the February issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document. If you have any questions, contact Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok.edu. The deadline for the February issue is February 15. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Deans and Division & Department Chairs

College of Liberal Arts

• Dr. Paul Westbrook - Dean
• Dr. Mike Chanslor - Associate Dean
• Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford - Communication, Art and Theater
• Dr. Mark Bighley - Music and Humanities
• Dr. Les Hannah - Languages and Literature
• Dr. Bill Corbett - Social Sciences
• Dr. Kathlyn Shahan - Social Work
• Dr. Cari Keller - Criminal Justice and Legal Studies
• Major Jason Junkens - Military Science

College of Education

• Dr. Kay Grant - Dean
• Dr. Pamela Fly - Associate Dean
• Dr. Louis White - Assistant Dean
• Dr. Deborah Landry - Curriculum & Instruction
• Dr. Mark Giese - Health & Kinesiology
• Dr. Renee Cambiano - Educational Foundations & Leadership
• Dr. Kathryn Sanders & Dr. Richard Williams - Psychology & Counseling

College of Business & Technology

• Dr. John Schleede - Dean
• Dr. Dunn Faires - Associate Dean
• Dr. John Yeutter - Accounting & Finance
• Dr. Anne Davey - Business Administration
• Dr. Michael Turner - IS & Technology

College of Science & Health Professions

• Dr. Martin Venneman - Dean
• Pam Hathorn - Associate Dean
• Dr. April Adams - Natural Sciences
• Dr. Darryl Linde - Mathematics & Computer Science
• Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Health Professions

College of Optometry

• Dr. Doug Penisten - Dean
• Dr. Michelle Welch - Associate Dean
• Mary Stratton - Assistant Dean of Administration

Muskogee Campus

• Dr. Tim McElroy - Dean

Library

• Dr. Sheila Collins - Dean

Broken Arrow Campus

• Dr. Christee Jenlink - Dean

Letter from the Provost

Welcome to another edition of the Academic Times. We appreciate all of you who contributed information to this edition, and we will continue inviting contributions every month. We share copies of the Times with our RUSO regents and with colleagues on other campuses. They have complimented us on the layout and design of the newsletter as well as on the content.

Feel free to share copies with those you know as well, and compliment your colleagues at NSU on the fine work they are doing.

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Dr. Jude Abia participated in a workshop at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials in Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island, NY. He reviewed two manuscripts for the journal Modern Applied Science. Dr. Abia was awarded an $11,000 INBRE grant to purchase an HPLC system.

Dr. April Adams presented a poster entitled “Adapting a Methods Course Concerning Inquiry Based Instruction to the Online Environment: Successes and Challenges,” at the International Association for Science Teacher Education in Minneapolis, MN.

The Science Education Program received National Recognition in its recent NCATE review (Science Program Committee: Dr. April Adams (chair), Dr. Pamela Christol, Dr. Tiffany Maher, and Ms. Monica Macklin.

A paper by Drs. Cindy Cisar and John de Banzie was published in the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education in December 2010. The title of the paper is "Coliforms Everywhere! Using Microbiology to Teach the Scientific Method.”

John Diamantopoulos, associate professor of mathematics, was nominated for Governor of the Oklahoma-Arkansas Section of the Mathematical Association of America.

Dr. Mia Revels and Dr. Amy Smith participated in the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation Wildlife Diversity Workshop. Activities included review of recent ODWC activities and input on future priorities including State Wildlife Grants.

Dr. Mark Paulissen served as a reviewer of manuscripts for two journals: The Journal of Herpetology and the African Journal of Agricultural Research. He co-authored a note entitled: "HEMIDACTYLUS TURCICUS (Mediterranean Gecko) HERMAPHRODITISM" published in SSAR Herpetological Review in December. Dr. Paulissen was invited to serve as a reviewer for the NSF International International Research Experience for Students (IRES) Program.

Dr. Erik Terdal and colleagues found evidence that margays (Leopardus wiedii), a small spotted cat, is less arboreal than previously assumed and discovered the presence of grison (Galictis vittata), a rare tropical Mustelid, in the Mountain Pine Ridge area of Belize in work supported by Coppola.

Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand was invited to be a member of the Northeast Area Health Education Center (NEAHEC) Advisory Board. She is co-chairing a Community Coalition Committee that will develop a Community Campus in Tahlequah. A HRSA grant to the Oklahoma AHEC supports this effort in Tahlequah and Enid.

Dr. Kevin Wang published a peer reviewed paper: “Method for Bxb1-Mediated Site-Specific Integration InPlanta”, 2011. Methods in Molecular Biology, 701: 147- 166. He submitted a Junior Investigator Awards (Low Cost Clot-dissolving Protein from Transgenic Plants for Stroke Treatment) grant and a Faculty Mini-Grant (Earthworm Fibrin-dissolving Enzyme in Transgenic Plants against Blood Clot) to INBRE. Dr. Wang submitted a proposal to the Eppendorf foundation to secure funding to equip the molecular biology and biotechnology program at the NSU-Broken Arrow campus. He has been invited to present “Gene Stacking and Deletion via Site-Specific Recombination Systems for Plant Biotechnology” at the Asian Congress on Biotechnology 2011 to be held May 11-15, 2011 in Shanghai, China.

Dr. Rui Zhang reviewed a paper for Physical Review E.

Dr. Michael Landry, professor of marketing, is lead author for “Commerce in the Recent Unpleasantness: Business Aspects of Civil War Railroads,” accepted for presentation at the April meeting of the Economic and Business Historical Society in Columbus, Ohio. He also continues to work on the marketing committee for a new children’s museum in Northwest Arkansas. During the spring semester, Dr. Landry is presenting workshops on marketing small businesses for Cherokee Nation and for a “lunch and learn” session presented by Rogers State University.

Dr. Castillo gave a lecture entitled "Advances in Ocular Diagnosis and Therapy," at the Oklahoma Osteopathic Association Winterfest meeting in January. He attended a meeting of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry in February. He serves on the standards-setting committee.

Cindi H. Fries took seven Education Pre-Internship II teacher candidates in Nov. 2010 to do an intensive one week internship at the Vienna International School, which serves the children of the United Nations, diplomatic and international business community in Vienna, Austria. This internship provided the Pre-II interns an understanding of international culture, language, and educational perspectives which allowed candidates to apply the experiences to their own classroom curriculum. The interns were well-received at the school and the impressions they made on VIS faculty were positive. Mrs. Fries served as the coordinating teacher for the interns and to the VIS faculty who hosted the interns.

Sophia Sweeney and Bill McComas (University of Arkansas) presented their paper “Early Elementary Teachers' Beliefs about the Nature of Science” at the International Conference of the Association for Science Teacher Educators in Minneapolis. Sophia also served as a session presider at the same conference.

Dr. Kevin David took the students in his Positive Psychology class to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma in Tulsa to volunteer for 2 hours. This was part of a service learning assignment in this class.

Ms. Meagan Eeg has successfully defended her prospectus as part of her doctoral degree in Literacy Education at The University of Oklahoma. With this accomplishment and her completed classwork, she only needs to finish the dissertation process to complete her doctorate. Ms. Eeg’s study will focus on clinical aspects of successful reading clinics and labs.

Dr. Stephan Sargent, for the past year, has volunteered to supervise a Girl Scout in the pursuit of the highest award in scouting, the Gold Award. Together with the Girl Scout, he has brought together several community partners for the purpose of planning and implementing a school wide literacy event at Rosa Parks Elementary in Union along with representatives from the Tulsa County Library and Girl Scout Troop 403. This event has made possible a sustainable response to the issue of literacy that will impact the lives of young children at Rosa Parks for years to come.

Dr. Mindy Smith, Dr. Stephan Sargent, and Ms. Meagan Eeg are coordinating clinical literacy services between Union Public Schools, Tulsa Public Schools and NSU. Teacher candidates at NSU are learning theory on campus and applying it with children in these school systems, helping real people in real time.

On February 12, Pam Hathorn and Martin Tadlock presented a session at AASCU's Academic Affairs Winter Conference in Orlando, Florida titled: “A Campus-Wide Approach to Student Retention”. Tadlock also facilitated the AASCU Workshop for New Provosts at the same conference.

Dr. Kathi McDowell, Dr. Pamela Christol, Dr. Martha Parrott and the College of Science & Health Professions received a grant in the amount of $14,175 from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. The funds will be used for a summer academy entitled “Get Green for Blue: Outdoor Investigations to Connect Water to You”. During this one week academy, students will collect and analyze water quality data, determine the threats to water quality, and develop possible solutions. Students will conduct water experiments, take field trips, and explore related career opportunities. Ultimately, students will be transformed into potential researchers, scientists and statisticians who will present findings through technology driven presentations to parents. This is the second year for this award.

Dr. Erik Terdal, Dr. Pamela Christol and the College of Science & Health Professions received a grant in the amount of $14,410 from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. The funds will be used for a summer academy entitled “Science at the Zoo 2011”. Acting as scientists, academicians will utilize methodologies that integrate multidisciplinary techniques to move beyond memorizing facts about nature. Through observation and critical thinking skills, they will formulate hypotheses about animals, their adaptations for survival, and their relationship to environmental issues. Digital video will be used to record data to test their hypotheses. They will apply math and science knowledge, as well as build leadership, team building, and deductive reasoning skills. On the final day of the academy, students will present their findings to their families. This is the second year for this award.

Dr. Thomas Salmon and the College of Optometry received a grant in the amount of $36,000 from Cooper- Vision Japan. The purpose of the grant is to perform research for CooperVision Japan (CVJ) by evaluating how well CVJ contact lenses correct astigmatism. Data collection and statistics will enable CVJ the ability to assess optical performance of these lenses. This is the fifth year for Dr. Salmon to receive an award from Cooper Vision Japan for his research activities.

Laura Boren and the Office of Student Affairs received a grant in the amount of $47,410 from the U.S. Department of Justice through East Central University. The grant will provide continuation of the programs established throughout the past three years at NSU for the prevention of violent crimes against women on campus. This is a two year award extension for this program.

Dr. Mia Revels and the College of Science & Health Professions received the Little River Wildlife Refuge 2011 grant in the amount of $10,000 from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. The purpose of this grant is to monitor the Swainson's Warbler to gather biological data and habitat requirements of the species in order to guide forest management.

Dr. Deborah Landry and the College of Education received the Celebration of Teaching 2011 grant in the amount of $7,000 from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for fiscal year 2011. The purpose of this grant is to support the Celebration of Teaching Conference held in Spring 2011. The conference will focus on university students in the teacher education program and minority students from public school systems in northeastern Oklahoma.

Dr. Deborah Landry and the College of Education received the Tulsa Public Schools FEA Chapters’ grant in the amount of $5,770 from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education for fiscal year 2011. The purpose of this grant is to support programs which help recruit and retain teachers in Oklahoma. This project includes connecting members of Future Educators associations in the Tulsa area with teacher education candidates who are members of the Student Oklahoma Education Association in the NSU College of Education, thus creating a “student on student” relationship that will introduce, encourage, assist and sustain all those involved to become educators who have the desire and ability to become teacher leaders serving as or with underrepresented populations.

Dr. Deborah Landry and the College of Education received the ACE Partnership with Union High School 2011 from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education in the amount of $3,225. The purpose of this grant is to allow for the “College Connection” between the ACE program at Union High School and teacher education candidates and faculty in the NSU College of Education. The partnership between the school and College of Education would provide another venue for the ACE curriculum, and activities to come alive as an immersed experience into the many facets of teacher education and the teaching profession.

Dr. Satara Armstrong’s paper was accepted for presentation at New York University's 2011 Fo- rum on Theatre and Public Health. The paper is titled, "Theatrical Storytelling: Culturally Relevant Health Promotion to Decrease Health Disparities in Organ Transplants with Native American Nations."

Jason Dovel played trumpet with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra for their January "Broadway to Buenos Aires" concert. He also presented clinics for the band programs at Okmulgee High School, Fort Gibson High School, Muskogee High School, and the Muskogee 7th/8th grade center. As a result of an audition CD and phone interview, Jared Wallis, NSU freshman trumpet student, has been hired as a staff member for the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan. He will play trumpet in staff ensembles, study with camp faculty, as well as supervise and instruct (high school) students from June through August. They only hire 8-10 trumpet players from colleges and graduate schools across the country for these positions, so this is a very prestigious honor.

The Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce's Beautification Committee took the top honors at the 20th annual "Keep Oklahoma Environmental Excellence Awards” recently. The project was moved into competition at the national level and received the top award. Dr. Dana Eversole's Public Relations Campaigns class in the Spring 2010 orchestrated the entire project, arranged all the social media sites and all media for the event. Eric Covey, who is an NSU graduate and now works for University Relations at the Broken Arrow campus, was the student leader for the project.

Kimberli Lee's essay-review of “X-Marks: Native American Signatures of Assent,” (written by Ojibwe scholar Scott Lyons), will appear in the forthcoming JAC: Journal of Rhetoric, Writing, Politics, and Culture.

David Madden took a group of students to compete in the American Mock Trial Association regional competition in Richardson, Texas. Students competed against Southern Methodist University, University of Houston and five other Texas institutions. Student participants were Tammy Doughty, Melissa Weems, Johnny Aman, Kelsey Dibler, Katie Fallen, Zechariah Trimm and Kailo Vann. These students all worked very hard in their preparations for the competition.

NSU Theatre Faculty Robyn Pursley, Tim Saucier, Chris Miller, and Scott Pursley hosted the annual NSU Theatre Festival on Feb. 17. Approximately 100 high school students visited the NSU campus to participate in theatre- related workshops and attend a matinee performance of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare [abridged]. Communications instructor Kris Copeland also joined the theatre faculty as a special guest workshop leader.

Norman Wika was invited to conduct the 2011 Mid-East Oklahoma Band Directors’ Association High School Honor Band on Feb. 14-15. The band consisted of students from nine high schools who were selected by audition for the band. The concert was held on Feb. 15 at the Oologah High School Auditorium.

After Several Years Of Ongoing Training Seminars,data collection, analysis and report writing, NSU's Social Studies Education program has been awarded with "Nationally Recognized" status by the reviewers for the National Council for the Social Studies!

Two current Northeastern State University students took home ADDY awards this weekend from the American Advertising Federation of Tulsa. The top Addys went to three "Best of Show" entries, one of which was the Best of Show, Student - Consumer or trade publication, campaign: Saxon Campbell, NSU, MaxFactor Makeup. In the student category NSU also won for: Editorial design, cover: Lindsay Sinclair, NSU, Lovely Bones, book illustration. Saxon Campbell is a senior from Sallisaw, majoring in Visual Communications - Photography, with a minor in Graphic Design. Lindsay Sinclair is a post graduate student from Tahlequah (undeclared) but taking coursework in both Graphic Design and Communications. The students produced the winning designs as part of their Art department coursework during the 2010 Fall semester. KUDOS to Jacob Cotton for encouraging their participation in the competition.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the March issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document. If you have any questions, contact Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok.edu. The deadline for the March issue is March 15. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Deans and Division & Department Chairs

College of Liberal Arts

Dr. Paul Westbrook - Dean

Dr. Mike Chanslor - Associate Dean

Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford - Communication, Art and Theater

Dr. Mark Bighley - Music and Humanities

Dr. Les Hannah - Languages and Literature

Dr. Bill Corbett - Social Sciences

Dr. Kathlyn Shahan - Social Work

Dr. Cari Keller - Criminal Justice and Legal Studies

Major Jason Junkens - Military Science

College of Education

Dr. Kay Grant - Dean

Dr. Pamela Fly - Associate Dean

Dr. Louis White - Assistant Dean

Dr. Deborah Landry - Curriculum & Instruction

Dr. Mark Giese - Health & Kinesiology

Dr. Renee Cambiano - Educational Foundations & Leadership

Dr. Kathryn Sanders & Dr. Richard Williams - Psychology & Counseling

College of Business & Technology

Dr. John Schleede - Dean

Dr. Dunn Faires - Associate Dean

Dr. John Yeutter - Accounting & Finance

Dr. Anne Davey - Business Administration

Dr. Michael Turner - IS & Technology

College of Science & Health Professions

Dr. Martin Venneman - Dean

Dr. Pam Hathorn - Associate Dean

Dr. April Adams - Natural Sciences

Dr. Darryl Linde - Mathematics & Computer Science

Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Health Professions

College of Optometry

Dr. Doug Penisten - Dean

Dr. Michelle Welch - Associate Dean

Mary Stratton - Assistant Dean of Administration

Muskogee Campus

Dr. Tim McElroy - Dean

Library

Dr. Sheila Collins - Dean

Broken Arrow Campus

Dr. Christee Jenlink - Dean

Letter from the Provost

Dear Campus Community,

As we near the end of another academic year and you look through this edition of the Times, I hope you take some time to reflect on all of the good work people do at NSU. What gets published here is just a part of what actually is occurring across our three campuses. That work changes lives, adds value to our communities, and enriches those around us. Thank you for your contributions!

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Dr. Jude Abia has been appointed to the position of Councilor at the local and divisional level of the American Chemical Society. As Councilor, Dr. Abia will speak for the members of the local section or division at the national level. Dr. Abia will help to set national policies for ACS that directly or indirectly affect his constituency. Also he will be a voice of the national ACS that must speak to his constituency about the greater needs of the ACS as a whole. He served as a peer reviewer for the International Journal of Chemistry and Modern Applied Sciences.

Dr. April Adams presented a poster entitled “Adapting a Methods Course Concerning Inquiry Based Instruction to the Online Environment: Successes and Challenges” at the Association for Science Teacher Education International Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 19-22, 2011.

In February 2011, NCATE awarded the Mathematics Education program the designation of being “nationally recognized.” The Mathematics Education program prepares secondary mathematics teachers and is the largest program in the state. Many thanks go to Dr. Deborah Carment for her dedicated efforts to design assessments, collect data, and write the report that gained the program that designation.

Diana Masburn and Lori Murray, instructors, presented "Stick Your Neck Out: Provide Evidence Based Culturally Competent Geriatric Care" at the Region Nurses Association March meeting.

Dr. Mark Paulissen served as a peer reviewer for the Journal of Herpetology.

Dr. Mia Revels was awarded a $10,000 grant from the United States Fish and Wildlife Refuge to continue her studies on Swainson's Warbler Ecology and Behavior at the Little River National Wildlife Refuge. Dr. Revels and her Ornithology class were highlighted in the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology Online Research in Biology News Page describing their contribution to the Great Backyard Bird Count, a national Citizen Science Project used to monitor bird population numbers and distribution (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/orb/ content/news/ great-backyard-bird-count-February- 18-21). She was recognized through an article published in the Winter Brings Bald Eagles to Spring Creek, Spring Creek Coalition Winter 2011 Newsletter.

Dr. Erik Terdal spoke on "Tropical Landscapes for Oklahoma Gardens" to the Tulsa Perennial Club. He assisted a team from UCO in surveying dwarf palmetto (Sabal minor) populations in McCurtain County for cold damage after the recent winter weather. Dr. Terdal had a talk proposal on mammals of the Maya Mountains in Belize accepted for the annual meeting of the Southwestern Association of Naturalists.

Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang submitted a manuscript “Innate Immunity in Plants: The Role of Antimicrobial Peptides” for Springer Book on "Antimicrobial Peptides and Innate Immunity". He Published Peer Reviewed Paper:”Recombinase Technology: Applications and Possibilities. 2011, Plant Cell Report.30:267-85

Dr. Rui Zhang gave a colloquium talk in the physics department of Oklahoma State University. The title of his talk was, "How to trap HIV budding and assembly -- A physics approach."

Dr. Julia Kwok and Ms. Elizabeth Rabe are the recipients of "Distinguished Case Award" for their case entitled "Conflict Between Doing Well and Doing Good?" submitted to the 2011 Southwestern Case Research Association Conference. The award was presented at the Federation of Business Disciplines Dinner, which was held in March. The case illustrates the coexistence of company performance and ethicality.

Coauthored with Ms. Elizabeth Rabe, Dr. Julia Kwok presented their paper "The Economics of Sustainability: Environmental Accounting and Capital Budgeting" at the 2011 Southwestern Finance Association Conference in March in Houston, Texas. It discusses how to estimate potential cash flows related to sustainability and addresses modifications to the traditional capital budgeting techniques to evaluate the costs and benefits of economical, social and financial efficiency.

Dr. Julia Kwok, coauthored with Ms. Elizabeth Rabe, had a poster presentation of the research work on “Performance and Governance of Sustainable Firms” at the 2010 Oklahoma Research Day in November at Cameron University, Lawton, OK. The study examines the relationship between operating performance and corporate governance of sustainable firms and non-sustainable firms. Results will provide policy makers insights on board structure and composition.

Dr. Julia Kwok, coauthored with her students, Mr. Walid Shaker and Mr. Michael Todd, had a poster presentation of their project “Security Investment Using StockTrak Program” at the 2010 Oklahoma Research Day in November at Cameron University, Lawton, OK. The project involves the use of an investment simulation program to form a diversified portfolio to demonstrate the concepts of asset allocation and security selection.

MBA students in Dr. Michael Landry’s Logistics and Supply Chain Management class were scheduled to take a tour of the WalMart distribution center near Bartlesville in March.

Dr. E.J. Bang’s manuscript entitled "Assessing PTSD and Resilience for Females who During Childhood were Exposed to Domestic Violence" has been accepted for publication in Child & Family Social Work.

Dr. Mark Bighley published the article "Martin Schalling's 'Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart'" in CrossAccent, the Journal of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (2011, XIX/1, 34-47). In addition, he performed faculty organ recitals in Tulsa and Tahlequah. He also performed a recital at the First Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma City.

Jason Dovel served as an adjudicator for the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association's solo and ensemble contest held at Skiatook High School. He also hosted Dr. Jason Bergman, trumpet professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, and Timothy McFadden, principal trumpet of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, as guest artists in March 2011.

Six homeland security students spent spring break conducting heavy rescue training at Camp Gruber with Response International Group. This was an internship opportunity where our students gained college credit and bridged the gap between the classroom and real world experience. The students spent the week in a natural disaster scenario, working 12 hour days with trainers. Dr. Buster Hall coordinated the training with RIG and made the experience possible for our students.

Connie Henshaw, English education specialist for the department of languages and literature, will direct and perform in "Handiwork", a Readers' Theater production she created, in which American Indian women speak of their own experiences in Indian Territory/Oklahoma Territory as recorded in the WPA Narratives through the voices of contemporary women. The event is Thursday, April 14 for the 39th Annual Symposium on the American Indian "Hands Across Nations: Smart Legacies Strong Spirits."

Invited to participate in NSU's Debate & Dialogue sessions held in the Webb auditorium, Connie Henshaw, department of languages and literature, is to take the position that "Tenure Should Be Abolished Within University Settings". Dr. Denise Deason-Toyne will take the opposing view. The sessions are to create discussion among the campus community regarding issues concerning higher education and the debate is facilitated by Dr. David Scott. This session is at noon, April 13 and audience questions are invited at the end of the pro and con presentations.

Dr. Kimberli Lee has been invited to write a section for The Oxford Handbook of Indigenous American Literatures. She will be writing on Contemporary American Indian music as Rhetoric and Literature. The Handbook will be edited by Daniel H. Justice, PhD (Cherokee), and James Cox, PhD. Additionally, Kim will be a featured speaker at the upcoming CCCC's National Convention in Atlanta, April 6-9, 2011.

Four students in NSU’s M.A. in English program made presentations at “Exploring the Renaissance 2011: An International Conference” in St. Louis in March. This interdisciplinary conference, sponsored annually by the South-Central Renaissance Conference and held this year at Saint Louis University, features scholarly research on Renaissance literature, history, art, and music. Heather Aziere, Stephanie Christodoulou, Terry Gamel, and Michael Reese presented papers on Shakespeare comedies that they had written in Fall 2010 for a graduate course in Shakespeare on the Broken Arrow campus. Their professor, Dr. John Mercer, also attended the conference and presented a paper concerning the 2010 production of The Merchant of Venice at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

On April 14 John Milbauer will present a lecture entitled Oklahoma County Courthouse Monuments in the Tahlequah public library.

In February Brad Montgomery-Anderson was an invited speaker at Central Connecticut State University's symposium for International Mother Language Day where he presented a talk on Mayan languages. At the end of March, he gave a talk in Seattle at the annual meeting for the Society for Applied Anthropology on 'Language Revitalization as a Multi-Front Endeavor.' The Southwest Journal of Linguistics published his article on ‘Alternatives to the applicative in Chontal Mayan.' Brad also published reviews of the following books: ‘Dying Words’ in Journal of Linguistic Anthropology; ‘Language Contact’ in Journal of Sociolinguistics, and ‘Native American Language Ideologies: Beliefs, Practices, and Struggles in Indian Country’ in Journal of Sociolinguistics.

Tony O'seland coordinated the celebration for the "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day" here in Tahlequah. He was able to get Mayor Ken Purdy to issue an official Proclamation for the City of Tahlequah naming March 30, 2011 as "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day" in the city of Tahlequah and arranged an open house at Blackfox-Hartness American Legion Post 135 in Tahlequah for the 30th where there will be representatives of Northeastern State University, The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, The Oklahoma Department of the American Legion, Cherokee County Veterans Council, and several other veterans service organizations in attendance. There will also be a veterans service officer available to assist any veteran in filing paperwork with the Department of Veterans Affairs as well as a disaster preparedness presentation.

Robyn Pursley is currently directing the NSU Theatre Company production of Noises Off starring NSU alumnus Joe Sears (author of the acclaimed play Greater Tuna). The play runs April 21-23, 2011 at the Shawnee Street Theatre with a special preview performance on April 20, 2011.

Amy Aldridge Sanford gave a presentation about creativity in the college classroom to faculty at SWOSU in early March.

Timothy Saucier is performing the role of the silver tongued attorney, Billy Flynn, in Muskogee Little Theatre's production of CHICAGO the musical. The show was sold out a week before it opened, however there are some seats available an hour before performances, first come first served. There may be an added performance due to popular demand on Wednesday, April 6th.

Paula Settoon has been appointed as the 2011-12 Communications Vice President for the Junior League of Tulsa. Paula is also a member of the Designer Showcase Committee benefiting the Foundation for Tulsa Schools.

Dr. Donna Shelton has been selected to receive the 2011 Excellence in Teaching Award for Higher Education from SWCOLT, the Southwest Conference on Language Teaching, a nine-state organization that holds annual conferences related to all aspects of world language teaching.

Olaf Standley presented at the Tulsa Community Part-Time Faculty Workshop on February 19. His presentation titled "Using Social Media to Engage Your Students" taught others how to integrate social media into the classroom.

At the beginning of March, Olaf Standley represented NSU at Hale High School in Tulsa and spoke with the AVID College Prep students about the importance of a college education. AVID is a national program aimed at preparing high school students for college.

Melissa Strong's article "The Limits of Newness: Hybridity in Octavia E. Butler’s Fledgling” has been accepted for publication in the journal Femspec. Her essay "The New (Working) Woman in Gilman's Herland" is featured in the anthology Women and Work, due out this month from Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Over Spring Break, Dr. Anne Watson, founding Ironwood Trio member, was involved in a tour of universities in both Arkansas and Missouri. With the other two Trio members, she performed in recitals and gave masterclasses at each university.

Paul Westbrook and Pamela Louderback received notification that HanBan, the Chinese Education Ministry, had officially recognized the Confucius Classroom at the NSU Broken Arrow campus and had awarded $10,000 for the operation of that project.

Dr. Virginia Whitekiller is co-authoring a book chapter for "The Children's Bureau: Shaping a Century of Child Welfare Practices, Programs, and Policies." The book is contracted by the National Association of Social Workers and is scheduled for release in March 2012.

Dr. Mike Wilds presented at Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences March 2011 in Toronto, Canada. His presentation addressed "Coordinated Community Response to Domestic Violence." The seminar was attended by more than 1,000 academicians located throughout the world.

Dr. Mike Wilds volunteered for three weeks at Union High School to teach "Forensics" to graduating seniors. The goal is to acquaint the high school students with the college atmosphere, thus facilitating their smooth transition from high school to college (preferably NSU). Dr. Cari Keller will continue the transition by teaching classes at Union High School this April.

Shannon Unger successfully defended her dissertation at the University of Memphis over spring break, and will receive her D.M.A. in May. Additionally, she was contracted for upcoming engagements with Light Opera Oklahoma and the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus. Engagements include the role of Dinah in Bernstein's opera Trouble in Tahiti and Assistant Director for The Light in the Piazza with Light Opera Oklahoma, and mezzo-soprano soloist for the entire season with the Tulsa Oratorio Chorus. Future collaborations with Eric Gibson of Light Opera Oklahoma include the First Annual NSU Vocal workshop and Broadway recital on April 1, 2011. Shannon, together with her colleagues, Dr. Ronald Chioldi and Dr. Patricia Surman will present Jake Heggie's song cycle The Deepest Desire for the fundraising concert organized by the Japanese students association. This work was also presented at the College Music Society conference in March.

Sarah Burkhead, Tammy Pavao, and Rachel Whitaker represented the NSU Libraries by attending the workshop "Copyright Issues for Librarians" held at the Stillwater Public Library on February 23, which was sponsored by the Oklahoma Library Association Ethics Committee.

Ms. Meagan Eeg is assuming the role of the ‘Technology Column Editor’ in The Oklahoma Reader.

Ms. Ingrid Ahrens Massey (Reading/Literacy) is taking students in her undergraduate reading methods course to Cherokee Elementary in Tahlequah weekly. There, they apply the theoretical knowledge gleaned in university coursework.

Dr. Stephan Sargent and Ms. Meagan Eeg are embarking on a major research study in collaboration with Dr. Evan Ortlieb of Texas A&M (Corpus Christi) and Capstone Digital Media dealing with reading attitude of elementary students when using digital books, an area with little prior research.

Dr. Mindy Smith, Ms. Ingrid Ahrens Massey, and Ms. Meagan Eeg took three classes of graduate students to the annual conference of The Oklahoma Reading Association, the state affiliate of the International Reading Association. There, in addition to the wonderful activities at the conference, graduate students heard Dr. Michael Opitz, nationally renowned researcher in the reading field.

Dr. Mindy Smith is taking her undergraduate classes to Sandburg Elementary in Tulsa. This not only helps the NSU students merge theory and practice, but also provides a way for Dr. Smith to offer literacy assistance to the students at the elementary school, helping real people in real time.

Dr. Mary Swanson and Dr. Tobi Thompson are teaching the first two courses in the Graduate Reading Program’s new online program.

Dr. Tobi Thompson is publishing a book review of In a Reading State of Mind by Fisher, Frey and Lapp in The Oklahoma Reader. This is a peer-review, state journal of the Oklahoma Reading Association (an affiliate of the International Reading Association).

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the April issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document. If you have any questions, contact Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok.edu. The deadline for the April issue is April 15. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Deans and Division & Department Chairs

College of Liberal Arts

Dr. Paul Westbrook - Dean

Dr. Mike Chanslor - Associate Dean

Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford - Communication, Art and Theater

Dr. Mark Bighley - Music and Humanities

Dr. Les Hannah - Languages and Literature

Dr. Bill Corbett - Social Sciences

Dr. Kathlyn Shahan - Social Work

Dr. Cari Keller - Criminal Justice and Legal Studies

Major Jason Junkens - Military Science

College of Education

Dr. Kay Grant - Dean

Dr. Pamela Fly - Associate Dean

Dr. Louis White - Assistant Dean

Dr. Deborah Landry - Curriculum & Instruction

Dr. Mark Giese - Health & Kinesiology

Dr. Renee Cambiano - Educational Foundations & Leadership

Dr. Kathryn Sanders & Dr. Richard Williams - Psychology & Counseling 

College of Business & Technology

Dr. John Schleede - Dean

Dr. Dunn Faires - Associate Dean

Dr. John Yeutter - Accounting & Finance

Dr. Anne Davey - Business Administration

Dr. Michael Turner - IS & Technology

College of Science & Health Professions

Dr. Martin Venneman - Dean

Dr. Pam Hathorn - Associate Dean

Dr. April Adams - Natural Sciences

Dr. Darryl Linde - Mathematics & Computer Science

Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Health Professions

College of Optometry

Dr. Doug Penisten - Dean

Dr. Michelle Welch - Associate Dean

Mary Stratton - Assistant Dean of Administration

Muskogee Campus

Dr. Tim McElroy - Dean

Library

Dr. Sheila Collins - Dean

Broken Arrow Campus Dr. Christee Jenlink - Dean

Letter from the Provost

Dear faculty and staff,

Welcome to the last edition of the Academic Times for the 2010-2011 academic year. This has been an exceptional year with increases in grantsmanship, increased engagement in undergraduate research, increased recognition for students and faculty at the state and national level, and the completion of major initiatives that can positively impact teaching and learning. The Times publishes excerpts from many of those accomplishments, while others we learn about never make it to 'press.' Regardless, know that what you do at NSU matters. The impact of your work is felt by others. Lives are changed.

I would like to take this brief opportunity to reaffirm my belief that the core mission of NSU is dedication to student learning. Everything we do must feed that core. If it doesn't, we shouldn't do it, whatever 'it' is. Also, I believe that everything teaches, and everyone working for NSU has a responsibility to 'teach' whether it be through actions and interactions or in a formal teaching and learning setting. We hope those are reflected in the entries you read about in this issue of the Academic Times.

Thank you for your contributions. Enjoy the conclusion of another semester and academic year.

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Dr. Jude Abia is partnering with fellow colleague Dr. Chris Burba and other researchers at Tulsa University and Brookhaven National Laboratory in preparing a research proposal on Electric-field Aligned Polymer Electrolyte for funding through the INCREASE consortium.

Dr. April Adams was promoted to Professor. Dr. April Adams, Dr. Pamela Christol , and Ms. Deb Hyde submitted a chapter proposal for an Association for Science Teacher Education monograph entitled The Inclusion of Sustainability Education in Teacher Education. Dr. April Adams with Ms. Lardy presented the Mentor Mentee Nexus session at the National Association for Research in Science Teaching International conference in Orland, FL.

Dr. Joseph Ahlander and Dr. Chris Burba received INBRE equipment awards.

Dr. Pamela Christol was granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor.

Dr. John de Banzie attended the selection committee meeting for Oklahoma INBRE summer research internships. Seven of the twenty-eight students selected were from Northeastern State University.

Dr. John Diamantopoulos, associate professor of mathematics, helped out with the Tahlequah Business Expo 2011 on March 25 and 26 in the University Center Rozell Ballroom. The expo featured 45 vendors, visits by former OSU football coach Pat Jones and the Tulsa Shock’s mascot, and a silent auction. Food items were collected for the CARE Food Pantry.

Karl Kruczek was recognized by the Northeastern Student Government Association for making a difference in the lives of NSU students.

Dr. Jessica Martin was awarded the Circle of Excellence Award in Research.

Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang and Dr. Jessica Martin each received a Junior Investigator Award from INBRE.

Dr. Sue Woods attended the OSU-CHS Research Day on February 25th to observe research presentations by current and former NSU students. Dr. Woods attended the OSU Med Xtravaganza in March. NSU had more students attending this event than any other university. There were at least 14 NSU-Broken Arrow students attending this workshop for future applicants. Dr. Woods attended the luncheon for the Pre-Med advisors. She is the sponsor of the NSU Broken Arrow Pre-Professional Health Club which had two meetings in March. On March 9, Dr. Mike Woods (Director of OU Family Medicine Residency Program in Ramona, OK) led a discussion on health care reform. Two guests were present on March 23: 1) Lynn Denny from the Bedlam Clinic spoke about volunteering and shadowing opportunities for Pre-Med, Pre-Pham and Pre-PA students. 2) Dr John Tipton (Chairman, OU Family Medicine Department) led a discussion on several medical issues. She joined the NSU Broken Arrow Pre-Professional Health Club at the NSU-BA Big Event on Saturday, March 26th.

Douglas Penisten, O.D., Ph.D., dean of the Northeastern State University Oklahoma College of Optometry, was recently inducted into the National Academies of Practice (NAP). Only 150 members, selected from each of the 10 primary health professions, can be elected to membership. The NAP was founded in 1981 in recognition of the need for interdisciplinary collaboration in healthcare. It is comprised of distinguished practitioners and scholars from all of the primary health professions: Dentistry, Nursing, Optometry, Osteopathic Medicine, Medicine, Psychology, Podiatric Medicine, Social Work, Veterinary Medicine, and Pharmacy. Dr. Penisten is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Optometry and has served on the faculty of NSU since 1988. During his distinguished career, he has served as chair of the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education and the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. He formerly served on the Education. Committee of the World Council of Optometry and frequently lectures nationally and internationally.

Dr. Julia Kwok was invited to participate in “Technology in Corporate Finance Focus Group” in March in Chicago, IL to discuss and evaluate technology used to provide access, interact and assess student performance. She also participated in a virtual focus group to discuss ways to handle the challenges of teaching the financial management course.

Phyllis Fife, Ed.D., director of the Center for Tribal Studies, will be the commencement speaker for College of the Muscogee Nation in Okmulgee, OK, in April. This will mark the third graduating class for the tribal college which opened its doors in the fall of 2004 with 27 students and 2 classes. Today, the enrollment is over 150 with a schedule of 42 classes. In December, 2010, the college dedicated its first building with classrooms, offices, and a library. Plans are in place to build a dormitory and additional buildings. NSU Professor Emeritus Dr. James King serves as the college’s Regents Director for University Effectiveness. He also directed the establishment of the college, which is not progressing through the HLC accreditation process. NSU alumnus Robert Bible is president. Fife, King, and Bible are all citizens of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

The NSU Graduate Reading Program and Scholastic, Inc. (http://www2.scholastic.com) brought Dr. Kenneth Stamatis of Harding University to Northeastern. He helped teachers construct knowledge about “Creating Classroom Cultures of Reading Engagement,” at the NSU-BA Campus. Coordinated by Dr. Stephan Sargent of the Reading Department, over 120 Tulsa-area classroom teachers enjoyed a day at the NSU- BA Campus.

Dr. Stephan Sargent of the Reading Department recently announced that Capstone Publishers (http://www.capstonepub.com/) has donated over 500 new books to the NSU-BA Reading Clinic. After the Capstone CEO visited the NSU-BA Reading Clinic, he was so impressed by the outreach to real people in real time that he subsequently made this generous donation to the university. This gift of hardbound, library-sewn books is valued at approximately $7,500.

Dr. Mark Bighley, professor of Music and Chair of the Department of Performing Arts was one of three judges for the March 12, 2011 organist competition sponsored by the Tulsa chapter of the American Guild of Organists held at Boston Avenue Church in Tulsa. The winner will represent the chapter at the regional convention held in Oklahoma City this summer.

Kristopher Copeland and Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford presented a short course, "Assessment in the Communication Discipline," at the Central States Communication Association on April 9th in Milwaukee, WI.

Jason Dovel played trumpet in concerts with the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (Fayetteville, Ark.) and Signature Symphony Orchestra (Tulsa, OK). He also had a high school student compete as one of eight national finalists in the National Trumpet Competition in Washington, DC.

Close to 500 students and advisers from 25 junior high to two-year colleges attended the 40th Media Day in April. Dr. Dana Eversole, Cassie Freise and Mike Gaede organized the annual event that allows students who participate in their school's yearbook or newspaper program to submit entries in more than 30 categories in March to be judged before the actual event. Once on NSU's campus, students can enjoy a variety of sessions on the latest trends in the media or participate in on-site competitions, such as writing or digital photography. The day is coordinated by students and the event was powerful and exciting when everyone gathered in the UC Ballroom for the awards assembly.

On April 12th Professor Christine Hallman’s Weather and Climate class and Ms. Frances Rule visited the Channel 6 Weather facility in downtown Tulsa. Meteorologist Dick Faurot provided a tour and answered questions regarding storms, radar, and monitoring severe weather. Students were also given the opportunity to be “TV weather personalities” by highlighting temperatures, forecasts, and burn bans in front of the Channel 6 green screen. Field trips allow students to gain valuable real world experiences and interact with experts in a given field.

Painting professor Lance Hunter was invited to participate in the Watercolor USA Honor Society's 25th Anniversary Invitational Exhibition at the Springfield Art Museum from May 7th until July 3rd. Invitations to exhibit were limited to former award winners from the Watercolor USA National Exhibition held annually at the museum in Springfield, Missouri.

On April 19, Dr. Cari Keller presented the topic “Women in Law” at the Herstory lecture series. She participated in the Union Collegiate Academy as a Presenter on the topic of Crime Analysis. Dr. Keller presented several sessions during the weeks of April 11-27. Students in the program participated in project-based learning by working through computerized interactive hypothetical crimes and developing community prevention solutions.

For the fourth year in a row, Dr. Brad Montgomery- Anderson organized and led the Oklahoma Workshop on Native American languages (OWNAL). This workshop lasted a day and a half and took place the weekend of the Symposium on the American Indian. Over 50 scholars, educators, activists, and students participated, with individuals coming in from the University of Kansas, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Central Arkansas, the University of Texas-Arlington, Michigan Technological University, Comanche College, University of Arizona, and Harvard. This event was sponsored by the Center for Tribal Studies, the Cherokee Language Program, the Department of Languages and Literature, and the College of Liberal Arts. This month Brad Ross presented his poster on ‘Official English in Oklahoma’ at the honors luncheon; Dr. Montgomery-Anderson served as the advisor for this project.

Tony O’seland of Languages and Literature, and representing Blackfox-Hartness American Legion Post 135 as its Commander, presented awards to six ROTC graduates for academics and military studies during the ROTC Service Awards ceremony held at the Broken Arrow Campus on April 21, 2011.

Dr. Dan Savage and Dr. Jeonghum Min (NSU political science) worked closely with the students on the research project, as members of the Political Science Research Group. Dr. Ron Becker, political science, chaired panel, and serves as vice-president of the National Social Science Association.

Shannon Melody Unger and Eric Gibson of Light Opera Oklahoma will be the featured artists at the annual University of Tulsa Sigma Alpha Iota Spring Luncheon. The concert will take place on Saturday April 30th at the Summit Club of Tulsa. NSU students Amber Woods and Mary Keck represented Dr. Unger’s studio as finalists in the Oklahoma Chapter of the National Association of Teachers of Singing Competition held on April 9th, in Ada, Oklahoma.

Dr. Paul Westbrook represented NSU’s Confucius Classroom at the National Chinese Language Conference in San Francisco. He assisted Dr. Sharon Guo and Dr. Clydia Forehand of the University of Oklahoma and Dr. XiaoXiao Li of UCO in a presentation on our collaborative efforts in promoting the study of Chinese language and culture.

Dr. Mike Wilds participated as master of ceremonies (MC) for the Criminal Law Section of the OBA’s Annual “Forensics Seminar” held in Oklahoma City on April 20, 2012. The seminar focused on crime scene reconstruction, trace evidence, and witness testimony.

The NSU Crime and Justice Institute sponsored a “Gangs 101” seminar at the Broken Arrow campus on Friday, April 15th. Approximately 105 educators, law enforcement officers, and probation and parole officers attended the seminar. Channels 2, 6, and 23 as well as KTUL covered the event with extremely positive press.

Three NSU undergraduate students presented their research paper on “Democratic Party Voters in Eastern Oklahoma” at the National Social Science Association Conference in Las Vegas, NV. The students, Melissa Weems (political science), Johnny Aman (political science), and Casey Ross (history) won the award for “Best Undergraduate Research.” Their paper will be published in the National Social Sciences Journal. The National Social Science Association (NSSA) is a national interdisciplinary association devoted to interaction among social scientists through conferences, seminars, and publications. This association was founded in 1983 with a series of regional conferences and has now become one of the largest interdisciplinary educational associations in the United States.

Faculty Making A Difference

The NSGA Dinner held in April honored Faculty Who Made A Difference. NSGA members nominated faculty that fit this criteria. Each student spoke about the faculty member and presented them with a plaque.

Dr. Ronald Schaffer - Megan Weaver

Ms. Cassie Friese - Jordyn Jorgenson

Mr. Karl Kruczek - Seth Vansell

Dr. Cindy Cisar - Elizabeth Cook

Dr. Joseph Ahlander - Shane Franklin

Dr. Jim Phillips - Allyson Hall

Dr. John Diamantopoulos - Johnny Moyer

Dr. John DeBanzie - Matthew Reece

Mr. Michael Gaede - Brock Crawford

Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford - Caleb Dobbs

Ms. Robyn Pursley- Caleb Dobbs

Dr. Max Ellis - Johnny Moyer

Dr. Spence Pilcher - Elizabeth Cook

April 18, 2011

Thank you for making a difference.

Gather Here for Great Service Program

There have been many positive replies regarding excellent service. This following list of names is of faculty and staff who have had three or more cards sent to the Academic Affairs office regarding their excellence in service.

Bonnie Dickson - Enrollment BA

John Ford - Enrollment Services

Ryan Gray - Accounting Business Affairs

Jennifer McDowell - Housing

Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Muskogee Campus

Jessica Varcoe - Deans Office

Stuart Woods - The Copy Zone

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the September issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document. If you have any questions, contact Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok.edu. The deadline for the September issue is August 15. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Deans and Division & Department Chairs

College of Liberal Arts

Dr. Paul Westbrook - Dean

Dr. Mike Chanslor - Associate Dean

Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford - Communication, Art and Theater

Dr. Mark Bighley - Music and Humanities

Dr. Les Hannah - Languages and Literature

Dr. Bill Corbett - Social Sciences

Dr. Kathlyn Shahan - Social Work

Dr. Cari Keller - Criminal Justice and Legal Studies

Major Jason Junkens - Military Science

College of Education

Dr. Kay Grant - Dean

Dr. Pamela Fly - Associate Dean

Dr. Louis White - Assistant Dean

Dr. Deborah Landry - Curriculum & Instruction

Dr. Mark Giese - Health & Kinesiology

Dr. Renee Cambiano - Educational Foundations & Leadership

Dr. Kathryn Sanders & Dr. Richard Williams - Psychology & Counseling

College of Business & Technology

Dr. John Schleede - Dean

Dr. Dunn Faires - Associate Dean

Dr. John Yeutter - Accounting & Finance

Dr. Anne Davey - Business Administration

Dr. Michael Turner - IS & Technology

College of Science & Health Professions

Dr. Martin Venneman - Dean

Dr. Pam Hathorn - Associate Dean

Dr. April Adams - Natural Sciences

Dr. Darryl Linde - Mathematics & Computer Science

Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Health Professions

College of Optometry

Dr. Doug Penisten - Dean

Dr. Michelle Welch - Associate Dean

Mary Stratton - Assistant Dean of Administration

Muskogee Campus

Dr. Tim McElroy - Dean

Library

Dr. Sheila Collins - Dean

Broken Arrow Campus

Dr. Christee Jenlink - Dean

Letter from the Interim Provost

Greetings to Faculty and Staff,

Welcome back to NSU for another exciting academic year. Now that we have had a break in the hot weather, I think I can detect a little higher spring in everyone’s step. I have recently been reading the draft of the HLC self-study and as we address the criteria and core components we must provide evidence that our faculty and staff are engaged with their professional association, scholarly activity and the community. Over the past year and a half, the best evidence of this engagement is the information contained in each issue of the Academic Times. We are a community of scholars with student learning at the forefront. Congratulations to each of you for your contributions. Keep up the good work and have a wonderful semester.

Janet E. Bahr

Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Dr. Jude Abia completed summer research on an EPSCoR grant in collaboration with Dr. Ruya Ozer at Tulsa University on ‘Development of Catalytic Ionic Liquids’. Results of this work are being drafted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. A lecture on this work is also being scheduled to be delivered at Tulsa Community College-Metro campus in the fall of 2011.

Dr. April Adams submitted a National Science Foundation grant proposal entitled, “Building Robots As a Pathway to STEM Careers” ($832,331 for three years). Mr. Daniel Faddis, Director of STEM Outreach Programs for Cherokee Nation is Co-PI and Dr. James Hicks and Dr. Sophia Sweeny are Senior Personnel. If funded, the project will expand Cherokee Nation’s VEX Robotics Program to an additional 35 middle schools and high schools in a 14 county area and develop an NSU college robotics team. Dr. Adams was a lead reviewer for NCATE/NSTA national reviews of Science Teacher Preparation programs.

The Pentagon is the official magazine of Kappa Mu Epsilon, national mathematics honor society. The Pentagon poses challenging problems for students to solve. Dr. Joan E. Bell recently led four students in solving problems posed in The Pentagon. The individual student solutions were submitted as activities in Dr. Bell’s Introduction to Proof class.

Dr. Pamela Christol and Dr. Erik Terdal submitted an Environmental Protection Agency Environmental Education Grant “Environmental Education: Making Connections.” Dr. Pamela Christol presented to the KIPP Academy 7th graders on August 22.

A paper by Dr. Cindy Cisar and NSU undergraduates was published in the Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science in May. Cisar, C.R., Akiyama, T., Hatley, J., Arney, L., Kezunovic, N., and Owen, D. 2010. PCR Assay Specific for Chicken Feces. 90:39-44.

Dr. Cindy Cisar presented a poster entitled “Fluoroquinolone Resistant Escherichia coli from Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Effluent and Downstream Sediment” at the annual American Society for Microbiology conference May 21-24 in New Orleans, La.

Dr. Cindy Cisar was awarded $10,462 from the Oklahoma INBRE program and OK State Regents for Higher Education for release time during the fall 2011 semester to write a grant proposal.

Dr. Cindy Cisar participated in a Council for Undergraduate Research (CUR) Proposal Writing Institute July 17-22 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Two NSU undergraduate students, Mandy Lambros and Jacob Curley, received OK INBRE fellowships to perform research in Dr. Cindy Cisar’s laboratory for 8 weeks over the summer. They each presented a poster on their research at the OK INBRE summer research conference in Oklahoma City on July 22.

Dr. John de Banzie organized a panel of speakers for the fall 2011 Science and Technology Seminar Series. He created several new web-based teaching tools for Biochemistry, Developmental Biology, Genetics, and Microbiology and modified several hundred teaching web pages to make them more accessible to students using iPhones.

The Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education selected Ms. Heather Fenton, a new nursing faculty, as the Outstanding Allied Health Educator.

Dr. Edgarita Long had a presentation accepted for OSHA and ASHA conventions. Dr. Karen Patterson and Ms. Amber Burris-George also had a presentation accepted by ASHA. Dr. Edgarita Long’s article “Perspectives on Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations” was published in the ASHA journal.

The SLP Program added another $100,000 contract for school services, which provides SLP graduate students several additional clinical sites. Another SLP Clinical Instructor, Ms. Autumn Mahaney, was hired to supervise the graduate students.

Dr. Kathi McDowell is the NSU campus coordinator for the Oklahoma Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) sponsored by the National Science Foundation. This five year program is in its third year and has a yearly budget of $62,750. There were 14 entering freshmen accepted into the program in July 2011. Invited speakers (faculty) included Dr. April Adams, Dr. Darryl Linde, Dr. Tiffany Maher, Dr. Rick Matzen, Dr. Jessica Martin, Dr. Marvita McGuire, Dr. Mark Paulissen and Dr. Kevin Wang. Students conducted research with their faculty mentors: Dr. Joseph Ahlander and Dr. Spence Pilcher and will have the opportunity to continue the research during the fall semester.

Dr. Kathi McDowell presented a report of activities to a joint Internal and External Advisory Committee meeting for the Oklahoma Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The meeting was held August 4, 2011 at the Oklahoma State Regents office in Oklahoma City.

Dr. Kathi McDowell, Dr. Pamela Christol and Dr. Martha Parrott conducted a one week Summer Academy program (June 6-10, 2011) entitled “Get Green for Blue: Outdoor Investigation Connect Water to You” sponsored by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education with a budget of $14,125. This Summer Academy program was featured on Good Day Tulsa Monday, May 30th (Memorial Day) and on the Oklahoma News Report on OETA television on June 6, 2011. They also expect a feature on Broken Arrow TV (Cox channel 20) sometime this fall.

Ms. Lori Murray started nursing doctoral studies at the University of Kansas. Ms. Heather Fenton and Ms. Diana Mashburn continue their nursing dissertation activities. Ms. Vickie Brown-Racy continues her University of Arkansas-Fayetteville doctoral studies.

Dr. Mia Revels was an invited speaker at the American Ornithologists’ Union in Jacksonville, Florida, July 25-28, where she gave a presentation titled “Using online ornithological data in a freshman level, semester long course on how to do science” in the “Teaching with Cutting Edge Bird Data” workshop.

Dr. Steven Wilkinson, Dr. Martha Parrott, and Dr. Pamela Christol conducted a two week summer institute for in-service teachers in northeastern Oklahoma as part of a Mathematics Science Partnership grant [July 18-29, 2011]. As a team, NSU faculty approached mathematics and science from an integrated perspective which included experiences that supported critical thinking, reasoning, and outdoor education.

The Broken Arrow Pre-Professional Health Club held an organizational meeting on Aug. 23. Officers were elected including chairmen for new committees (Community Outreach, Shadowing Opportunities and Recruitment), Dr. Sue Woods is the sponsor of the organization.

Dr. Richard Castillo’s term as Part 1 exam council on the National Board of Examiners has been extended by one year. Also, he has been appointed to a national task force on surgical and laser competency and certification for optometrists by the NBEO.

Optometry professor, Dr. Thomas Salmon, spent most of July in Japan doing research work, volunteering with tsunami recovery and visiting NSU graduates. During the first week, he attended the annual meeting of the Japan Contact Lens Society as a part of his research grant with CooperVision- Japan. Dr. Salmon then traveled to northeastern Japan and spent two weeks working with the people of Ishinomaki, which was one of the hardest hit cities in Japan. Over 5,000 people died from the March 11 tsunami in Ishinomaki. In his last few days in Japan, Dr. Salmon traveled all over the country visiting Japanese NSU graduates, students and their families.

Mark Bighley was granted the “Faithful Servant Award” of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians on July 25th at the thirteenth biennial conference of the organization in Seattle. He was a founding member, chaired the constitution committee, chaired a national convention committee (1989), was the first national vice president (1985-89) and edited the journal CrossAccent from 2003-2011.

Dr. Jason Dovel, assistant professor of music, served on the faculty of the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan in July and August, where he played trumpet in the Festival Orchestra, Festival Band, and Faculty Brass Quintet. In June, he served on the faculty of the Bowling Green State University Summer Music Institute in Ohio as well as participated in the Northwestern University Trumpet Workshop (Illinois) and Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute (Ohio). In May, he served as principal trumpet for the recording session of Daniel Baldwin’s Fanfare for the Fallen, which was recorded on the campus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman. In addition, NSU trumpet students pursued summer music study at the University of Denver, University of North Texas, and the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

Dr. Patrick Enright’s paper “Rocketmen” was read at the Popular Culture Conference in San Antonio in April. Because he was on medical leave, Dr. Enright could not attend.

Omissive II, a new watercolor painting by Lance Hunter was selected for the 41st International Exhibition of the Louisiana Watercolor Society in New Orleans. The painting was published in a full color catalog showcasing the exhibition. Hunter also had Under the Surface II selected for the 2011 Member Juried Exhibition of the National Watercolor Society held in San Pedro, California in May and June. In late July, Hunter taught a workshop on figure drawing and painting in Long Beach, California. At the end of the Spring semester, Hunter conducted a two day mural workshop at Texas A&M University. The mural was painted in the G. Rollie White Plaza in front of the TAMU Bookstore. The mural was designed by Hunter, and it celebrates diversity by highlighting the contributions of minorities and women along with the six Aggie core values. During two days in the sun, forty Texas A&M students worked on the mural in shifts under Hunter’s direction. Sylvia Nitti, artist and NSU instructor also provided invaluable assistance with the project. The completed mural was temporarily hung in the Texas A&M University Club. When renovations are completed next year on the Memorial Student Center, the mural will be moved and permanently installed in the MSC facility on the TAMU campus. Myiesha Gordon provided the vision and coordination for sponsoring the mural project, the Coordinator of Exhibitions and Programs at Texas A&M. Myiesha is an NSU Art alumni and a former student of Hunter’s. Locally, Hunter completed a series of panels installed in T-Bones Restaurant in Tahlequah in June. He designed the T-Bones characters and he painted the mural on the stage with the assistance of Sylvia Nitti and NSU art student Ashlyn Metcalf earlier in the year.

Dr. David Linebarger won the award for Best Sports Poem in the journal The Listening Eye, which is based at Kent State. Two other poems also appeared in this journal: “Virgin of the Rocks,” and “Pantoum for Septuagenarian Tennis Players.” Another poem, “Track Homes,” was also recently published in the Iodine Poetry Journal. At the end of the 2010 tennis season, David Linebarger was ranked #1 in the state of Oklahoma in the men’s 4.5 division. He also won the Tulsa World tennis tournament in June of this year.

NSU Theatre faculty member Christopher Miller completed an original play for children based on the classic tale Hansel and Gretel. The piece will be workshopped and produced by the NSU Theatre Company in September 2011. Another original piece by Miller, a drama titled Bird and Fish, will also be produced as a part of the 2011-2012 NSUTC season.

Tony O’seland was sworn in as the Chairman of the Cherokee County Veterans Council for the 2011- 2012 year. He is the Commander of Blackfox-Hartness American Legion Post 135, Oklahoma American Legion District 2A Chaplain, and the Chair of CCVC.

Dr. Tommy Poole was a guest clinician for the Oklahoma Bandmaster’s Association 2011 Convention at the Renaissance Hotel in Tulsa. In addition, his jazz quintet headlined at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in Tulsa.

Drs. Tommy Poole, Norman Wika, and Jason Dovel performed with Grammy award-winning singer Gloria Gaynor during her 2011 summer concert in Oklahoma. Gaynor is Best Known For Her #1 disco-era hit,“I Will Survive.”

Dr. Robyn Pursley, coordinator of the NSU Theatre program completed an Ed.D in Higher Education at the University of Arkansas after successfully defending her dissertation titled “An Exploration of the Collegiate Experiences of Theatre Students in a Regional University. “

Timothy Saucier performed the role of the silver- tongued attorney, Billy Flynn, in Muskogee Little Theatre’s production of CHICAGO the musical. At the 2010-2011 “Milties”, CHICAGO won SHOW OF THE YEAR, and Timothy was awarded the honor of FAVORITE FEATURED MALE in the production. Moreover, Timothy was MLT’s ACTOR OF THE YEAR.

The Sequoyah Institute’s Galaxy of Stars Series was awarded $15,252 by the Oklahoma Arts Council for its 2011-2012 season. The grant, written by Amber Cowan, provides funding for a series of performances in addition to educational outreach events. This series provides the community with quality arts experiences that educate and engage the audience through a culturally diverse series. For more information on the season, visit www.nsuok.edu/si. The NSU Stars in the Summer: River City Players presented an acclaimed summer season of rock and roll music revues under the artistic direction of Robyn Pursley (NSU Theatre) along with her artistic team including technical director Scott Pursley (NSU Theatre), music director Tommy Poole (NSU Jazz Studies), and Margie Green (NSU Alumni).

Donna Shelton conducted a technology workshop for world language educators August 4 and 5 at Oklahoma City University. The workshop, titled “A Window to the World: Authentic Materials and the World Language Classroom,” was sponsored by the Oklahoma Foreign Language Teachers’ Association.

Melissa Strong has been awarded a Caleb Loring, Jr. Fellowship from the Boston Athenaeum for 2011-2012.

Dr. Anne Watson performed as principal clarinet with the 2011 season of Light Opera Oklahoma She also attended ClarinetFest Convention, in Los Angeles, CA.

Dr. Virginia Whitekiller, associate professor of Social Work, published the manuscript “Bringing Back the Tobacco: Cherokee Stories of Cultural Resilience” in the Fall 2011 issue of Cultural Survival Quarterly, Cambridge, Massachusetts. The NSU Faculty Research Development Funds and the Smithsonian Native American Community Scholar Award made the supportive research for this article possible.

Dr. Norman Wika conducted the Tulsa Camerata on May 19, 2011 at the Cascia Hall Performing Arts Center. The program included Octandre by Edgard Varèse and L’Histoire du Soldat by Igor Stravinsky, which featured narrator Dan McGeehan and dancers from the Portico Dans Theatre. The Tulsa Camerata is Tulsa’s resident chamber orchestra, made up of professional musicians from Oklahoma and Arkansas. Dr. Jason Dovel was the featured trumpet player with the Tulsa Camerata. Over the July 4th weekend, Dr. Wika performed with the festival orchestra at the First United Methodist Church in Tulsa. The program featured choir, orchestra, and organ playing patriotic music.

Ms. Ingrid Ahrens-Massey is continuing a service- learning experience through an undergraduate reading course that provides clinical reading services to area children.

Dr. Stephan Sargent, Dr. Mary Swanson, and Ms. Meagan Eeg-Moreland are publishing an article entitled, “Clinic Experiences that Promote Transfer to School Contexts: What Matters in Clinical Teacher Preparation,” in the 2011 Yearbook of the National Reading Conference.

Dr. Stephan Sargent and Dr. Joan Wipf published “NSU Student PTA Offers Future Teachers a Unique Place in PTA” in PTA’s national magazine, Our Children.

Dr. Stephan Sargent and Dr. Mindy Smith are publishing, “Improving Oral Reading\Fluency through Readers Theatre” in Reading Horizons (a publication of The International Reading Association - IRA)

Dr. Stephan Sargent is publishing a chapter in Timothy Rasinski’s edited book entitled, “Reading Fluency Revisited: Much more than Fast and Accurate Reading.”

Dr. Stephan Sargent has recently assumed the role as Literacy Research Association (LRC/NRC) Field Council Representative for the State of Oklahoma (2011-2013).

Dr. Stephan Sargent was awarded NSU’s “Model the Way Award” at the university-wide opening meeting.

Dr. Mindy Smith and Dr. Stephan Sargent have published, “Teachers Leisure Reading Habits and Knowledge of Children’s Books: Do They Relate to the Teaching Practices of Elementary School Teachers?” in Reading Improvement.

Dr. Mindy Smith, Ms. Meagan Eeg-Moreland, and Dr. Peggy Lisenbee coordinated a summer collegiate experience at NSU in conjunction with the Tulsa Area Community Schools Initiative (TACSI) to help bridge the achievement gap and increase physical activity by bringing rich summer learning opportunities to Tulsa’s most vulnerable children.

Dr. Tobi Thompson is collaborating with Interim Library Director, Paula Setoon, to explore ways the NSU Reading Department may collaborate with the NSU Literacy Center (housed in the NSU Library).

Stephanie Ingold has joined the team at the Broken Arrow Library. Stephanie comes to us from RSU.

Dr. Linda Wilson, associate professor of elementary education, is providing volunteers to assist Union Public Schools as they host the Vietnam Wall of Remembrance. The Wall will be on display at the Union 6th & 7th Grade Center during the week of September 11th. Dr. Wilson will monitor and assist her group of NSU volunteers on September 14th and 15th.

The Curriculum and Instruction Department in the College of Education has gathered a collaborative group of content area specialists from within their college and from partnerships with other colleges at NSU to review teacher education candidates for their OSAT Exam. This review is free and offered by these faculty volunteering their time and expertise: Dr. Debbie Landry, Dr. Stephan Sargent, Dr. Mindy Smith, Mrs. Meagan Moreland, Dr. Peggy Lisenbee, Ms. Rhea Johnston, Dr. Vanessa Anton, Dr. April Adams, Dr. Dorothy Radin and Dr. Louis White.

The College of Education presented its annual awards to faculty and staff during its meeting August 26th. Each winner received $250. The winners, pictured left to right, were Dr. Renee Cambiano, Outstanding Faculty Award in Research; Dr. Peggy Lisenbee, PSA Dewberry Outstanding Faculty Award in Teaching; Lereen Neugin, Outstanding Staff Member; Dr. Louis White, Outstanding Faculty Member in Advising; and Dr. Stephan Sargent, Outstanding Faculty Member in Service.

NSU secures ETS funding for Tahlequah, Broken Arrow programs

Tahlequah, Okla.)--Being the first person in one’s family to attend college can be daunting. There are new experiences such as applying for financial aid and scholarships, ACT preparation and career exploration.

Thanks to funding recently secured for Educational Talent Search programs at Northeastern State University, up to 1,000 lower income first generation students will receive assistance in helping prepare for this transition.

ETS provides college and career counseling and helps students recognize their strengths through educational, cultural and adventure activities. ETS is a federally funded TRIO service through the U.S. Department of Education.

“This is an exciting time for ETS at Northeastern,” said Diane Walker, program director. “The schools that will be served by the new Broken Arrow program are happy to be able to work with us. They have students who need these services, so this will be a very productive collaboration.”

ETS is available on both the Tahlequah and Broken Arrow campuses. The Tahlequah ETS program serves students at Chouteau, Coweta, Hilldale, Inola, Jay, Kansas, Ketchum, Keys, Wagoner and Tahlequah. The program at NSUBA will serve students at Depew, Edison, Kellyville, Mannford, Memorial, Oilton, Sand Springs and Sapulpa. Once open at Broken Arrow, the combined ETS programs will assist more than 1,000 students and their families in northeast Oklahoma.

The funding on the Tahlequah campus renews one of the federal TRIO services established at NSU in 2002. However, the ETS at Broken Arrow is a new program which will serve high schools farther west. The funding supports operations through August 31, 2016. Each program will receive $230,000 for the 2011-12 academic year.

“To get funding for a new program at Broken Arrow was almost miraculous,” said Walker, writer of the grant applications. “The three readers gave perfect scores to our BA proposal. That doesn’t happen very often.”

Walker said funding for the established Tahlequah operation was more easily secured, because “we have blown the roof off” all objectives and evaluations. However, she said further services and evaluation will be required by the U.S. Department of Education.

“We must track students that graduate from our program and file a six-year report on the secondary degrees they obtain, whether they be vocational, associate’s or bachelor’s degrees,” she said. “They also are requiring us to provide a financial literacy component for parents of students in ETS. We will offer workshops with instruction on planning and paying for a college education.”

Another added requirement is that a percentage of ETS students must complete a rigorous high school curriculum as defined by Oklahoma’s Promise, which pays the college tuition of students from low-income families provided the students prepare academically for college. Oklahoma’s Promise requires candidates to take four units of English, three of lab science, three of mathematics, three of history and citizenship skills, two of foreign language or computer technology, an additional unit from any of the required subjects and a unit of fine arts with at least a 2.5 overall grade-point average.

ETS organizes on-campus events for students in grades 8-12. One such event, “The College Encounter,” was held July 28 at the Tahlequah campus for new high school seniors.

The ETS staff facilitated activities and discussed topics such as financial aid and scholarships, StrengthsQuest, scholarship resumes and searches, ACT registration, Accuplacer and on-line college applications.

“StrengthsQuest helps students identify their talents and Accuplacer helps students determine which college courses they are ready to enroll in,” Walker said. “Many of these students went through our Learning and Leadership Summit after their freshman years. Some have been attending our events since middle school. The College Encounter is where we get serious about preparations for college.”

The students ended the day with a four-course dinner which included an etiquette lesson.

“Each of the seniors who attended has a wonderful opportunity to succeed during the last year of high school,” said Ryan Eller, an ETS guidance specialist. “They will be more competitive in scholarship selections and the college acceptance process.”

ETS is a federally funded TRIO service. The other TRIO program offered by NSU is Student Support Services. Since funded in 1993, the SSS program assists students in college. All TRIO programs target students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

NSU launches new college for adult learners

(Broken Arrow, OK) – Northeastern State University will open a new college this fall semester created specifically for non-traditional students who want to complete a college degree or advance in their careers. Housed on the Broken Arrow campus, the new College of Extended Learning empowers students to successfully fit schoolwork into schedules that are often full of other priorities.

“As a public university, Northeastern State University has an obligation to provide as much access as possible to everyone in our region, regardless of their circumstances,” said Dr. Martin Tadlock, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at NSU. “The College of Extended Learning is designed to provide that access through quality courses and degree completion programs created to meet the needs of working adults in the Tulsa region.”

Degree programs in the College of Extended Learning focus on both quality and convenience, offering a mixture of accelerated eight-week courses; blended, online and weekend classes; and expanded support services. The College of Extended Learning not only offers adults an affordable, customized option to complete a degree but also serves as a valuable resource for the region’s employers.

“This is not just an education issue; it is an economic development issue,” said Dr. Christee Jenlink, dean of the NSU-Broken Arrow campus and interim dean of the College of Extended Learning. “Increasing the number of college graduates in the Tulsa region provides companies – both existing and new – with the talented workforce they need to meet the demands of today’s global economy.”

Research by CEOs for Cities, a national business and education organization, revealed 185,000 individuals in the Tulsa area have some college credit but do not hold a degree. According to the organization, raising the number of college graduates by just 1 percentage point, or around 5,900 graduates, would mean a $646 million impact for the Tulsa region.

NSU’s Degree Completion Programs are the first set of programs offered through the College of Extended Learning and provide adult students the opportunity to go from an associate’s degree to a bachelor’s degree in two years. Areas of study include criminal justice, health care administration, human and family sciences, and, through the statewide Reach Higher program, organizational leadership.

“The College of Extended Learning allows adult students to meet their educational goals in a collaborative, student-centered environment while working with professional and experienced instructors who understand the unique challenges working students face,” said Dr. Cari Keller, chair of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies for NSU. “Flexible schedules and convenient access to services and information is critical to non-traditional learners, and we are excited to provide these opportunities through the new college.”

The College of Extended Learning will add continuing education courses and other degree programs for the spring 2012 semester.

For enrollment information, contact Kris Rider at 918-449-6225 or riderka@nsuok.edu

NORTHEASTERN STATE UNIVERSITY May 2011 – August 2011 GRANT AWARDEES

Grant Project: Oklahoma Small Business Development Center Service Agreement 2011
Sponsor: Oklahoma Small Business Development Center Award Amount: $234,981
PI or Director: Mr. John Blue

Grant Project: Alternative Dispute Resolution 2011-2012 (Yr. 18)
Sponsor: State of Oklahoma Supreme Court
Award Amount: $87,105
PI or Director: Ann Wilkins

Grant Project: NSU Chamber Music Series Sponsor: Oklahoma Arts Council
Award Amount: $1,500
PI or Director: Dr. Norman Wika

Grant Project: Galaxy of Stars
Sponsor: Oklahoma Arts Council
Award Amount: $15,252
PI or Director: Dr. Paul Westbrook/Ms. Amber Cowan

Grant Project: Center for Tribal Studies Major Grant Support-2011 Symposium Powwow
Sponsor: Oklahoma Arts Council
Award Amount: $3,500
PI or Director: Dr. Phyllis Fife

Grant Project: Green Country Jazz Series Sponsor: Oklahoma Humanities Council
Award Amount: $2,000
PI or Director: Dr. Tommy Poole

Grant Project: Oklahoma INBRE-Junior Investigator Iron Binding 2011
Sponsor: OUHSC through National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Award Amount: $116,485
PI or Director: Dr. Jessica Martin

Grant Project: Oklahoma INBRE-Junior Investigator Antibiotic Research 2011
Sponsor: OUHSC through National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Award Amount: $63,355
PI or Director: Dr. Cindy Cisar

Grant Project: Oklahoma INBRE 2011
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health through Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
Award Amount: $11,675
PI or Director: Dr. John de Banzie

Grant Project: INBRE Mentor Program 2011
Sponsor: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Award Amount: $6,600
PI or Director: Dr. Cindy Cisar, Dr. Joseph Ahlander

Grant Project: Great Expectations 2011 Sponsor: Other Sources-Private Foundation
Award Amount: $2,382,876
PI or Director: Dr. Linda Dzialo

Grant Project: Development of Catalytic Ionic Liquids Sponsor: Oklahoma EPSCoR
Award Amount: $10,000
PI or Director: Dr. Jude Abia

Grant Project: Project I’m Ready 2011-2012
Award Dates: 08/01/2011 - 07/31/2012 (Year 2 of 3) Award Amount: $332,964
Project Director: Dr. Pamela Louderback
Award Length: (3) years
Sponsor: Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)

Grant Project: Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence 2012
Award Dates: July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012
Award Amount: $111,680
Project Director: Mr. Curtis Evans

Grant Project: Stream Bioassessment 2012 Award Dates: July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012
Award Amount: $51,100
Project Director: Dr. Amy Smith
Funding Agency: Oklahoma Conservation Commission

Grant Project: Oklahoma Small Business Development Center 2011
Award Dates: January 1, 2011 - December 31, 2011 Award Amount: $234,981 (Combined Federal and State Funding)
Project Director: Mr. John Blue
Purpose of Award: To provide comprehensive services and resources to existing and potential small businesses in the state of Oklahoma

Grant Project: Educational Talent Search 2012 - (Tahlequah Campus), Year I of V
Award Amount: $230,000
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education
Project Director: Diane Walker

Grant Project: Educational Talent Search 2012 - (Broken Arrow Campus), Year I of V
Award Dates: September 1, 2011 - August 31, 2012 Award Amount: $230,000
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education Project Director: Diane Walker

Grant Project: Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students Funding Agency: Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Award Amount: $20,751
Project Director: Natalie Batt

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the October issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document. If you have any questions, contact Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok.edu. The deadline for the October issue is September 15. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Deans and Division & Department Chairs

College of Liberal Arts

Dr. Paul Westbrook - Dean

Dr. Mike Chanslor - Associate Dean

Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford - Communication, Art and

Theater

Dr. Mark Bighley - Music and Humanities

Dr. Audell Shelburne - Languages and Literature

Dr. Bill Corbett - Social Sciences

Dr. Kathlyn Shahan - Social Work

Dr. Cari Keller - Criminal Justice and Legal Studies

Major Jason Junkens - Military Science

College of Education

Dr. Kay Grant - Dean

Dr. Pamela Fly - Associate Dean

Dr. Louis White - Assistant Dean

Dr. Deborah Landry - Curriculum & Instruction

Dr. Mark Giese - Health & Kinesiology

Dr. Renee Cambiano - Educational Foundations & Leadership

Dr. Richard Williams - Psychology & Counseling

College of Business & Technology

Dr. Roger Collier - Interim Dean

Dr. Kathy Reese - Interim Associate Dean

Dr. John Yeutter - Accounting & Finance

Dr. Anne Davey - Business Administration

Dr. Michael Turner - IS & Technology

College of Science & Health Professions

Dr. Martin Venneman - Dean

Dr. Pam Hathorn - Associate Dean

Dr. April Adams - Natural Sciences

Dr. Darryl Linde - Mathematics & Computer Science

Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Health Professions

College of Optometry

Dr. Doug Penisten - Dean

Dr. Michelle Welch - Associate Dean

Mary Stratton - Assistant Dean of Administration

Muskogee Campus

Dr. Tim McElroy - Dean

Library

Ms. Paula Settoon - Interim Dean

Broken Arrow Campus

Dr. Christee Jenlink - Dean

Letter from the Interim Provost

Hello Faculty and Staff,

My how the time does fly! The second issue of the Academic Times is being released as we start to enjoy the beautiful days of fall. So many good things are happening at this university. Just to mention a few: two new federal Title III grants have been received; students, faculty and administrators are in China, Wales, and Vietnam; continued development of programming with CIBT in Vancouver, BC and development of a CIBT Intensive English program on the Broken Arrow campus; a very positive NCATE accreditation site visit; an accreditation visit for the Medical Laboratory Science program will occur later this month; the HLC self study is taking final form; two new academic programs are being proposed (Bachelor of Fine Arts and certificate in Emergency Management and Planning); Career Services are expanding; Banner go-live for online admissions has occurred with go-live for online registration later this month; and a host of other exciting things. The problem with listing specific items is that I am likely to miss some very important things. Please forgive me. I do appreciate the work that each and every one of you do to make Northeastern State University a better place for our students. Thank you to all who have contributed to this issue of the Academic Times.

Janet E. Bahr
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Dr. Jude Abia chaired the board meeting of TABERC (Tulsa Area Bioscience Education and Research Consortium )on 9/9/2011 at the NSU-BA campus. During this meeting, three undergraduate students, one being from NSU, were selected and granted a cash stipend to aid in constructing a website for TABERC. Dr. Abia also attended a webinar organized by the American Chemical Society on September 18 on “Going Green in Teaching Laboratory” The numerous educational benefits of conversion to a green curriculum was highlighted in this webinar.

Dr. April Adams participated as a committee member in the Oklahoma Teacher Education Commission’s Program Accreditation Committee meeting on September 8, 2011. Dr. Adams presented at an OSAT review for Elementary Education major that was organized by the College of Education on September 9, 2011.

Dr. Pamela Christol attended the Tulsa Zoo Rainforest Restoration fundraiser on September 9, 2011. She met with Jeff Lay, finance director of the Osage County Interlocal in Hominy, and Drs. Martha Parrott and Stephen Sargent to plan the 2012 MSP program.

Dr. Edie Long was one of three panelists for an ASHA sponsored online chat on “Accessing Service Delivery in Native American Communities.”

Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand was an invited presenter on Leadership in Nursing for all department and unit nurse managers at McAlester Regional Health Center on Sept 7, 2011.

Dr. Mark Bighley, professor of music, published the article, “Philipp Nicolai’s ‘O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright!’” in CrossAccent (2011, XIX/2).

The Oklahoma Humanities Council recognized Dr. Bill Corbett, professor of history and chair of the Department of Social Sciences, on September 10 for 25 years of service as a humanities scholar. Dr. Corbett and other scholars who participate in Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma, adult reading and discussion program were guests of the OFH at a symposium at Oklahoma City University. He has participated in the Let’s Talk About It project since its inception in 1985.

Dr. Jason Dovel, assistant professor of music, has had his article, “A Guide To Literature for Trumpet with Electronic Accompaniment” accepted for publication in the January 2012 International Trumpet Guild Journal.

Charles Dreveskracht, assistant professor of criminal justice, is using Twitter as an innovative teaching tool in his courses, and as a great public relations opportunity for the department. He created a Twitter account, which automatically posts details about a historical event in criminal justice daily. These are also posted automatically to the department Facebook account.

The Department of Social Sciences has undertaken an initiative to re-establish disciplinary honor societies within the department. Dr. Christine Hallman and Dr. Mark Carper are re-establishing the Geography Honor Society Gamma Theta Upsilon, Dr. Cheryl Van Den Handel is re-launching Pi Sigma Alpha, the national Political Science Honor Society, Dr. Denis Vovchenko and Dr. Bill Corbett are the faculty advisors for the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society. Dr. Jennifer Edwards is working to bring back Alpha Kappa Delta, the Sociology Honor Society. Student Candidates are currently being reviewed and initiations are planned for the month of October.

“In the Face of Time” an oil painting by Associate Professor of Art Lance Hunter was juried into the Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition that will be held October 8-30 at the Lee Youngman Galleries in Calistoga, California. His work was selected from submissions from over 700 artists from the western United States and Canada. The painting will also be featured in an article about the OPA exhibition in the October issue of American Art Collector magazine.

Dr. Ben Kracht, professor of sociology and anthropology, has resubmitted the book manuscript Aboriginal Kiowa Belief and Ritual to the series Studies in Anthropology of North American Indians published by the University of Nebraska Press. The manuscript is currently out for peer review.

Dr. Robyn Pursley, assistant professor of theatre, presented “An Exploration of the Collegiate Experiences of Theatre Students in a Regional University” at the Oklahoma Speech, Theatre and Communication Association conference September 10, 2011 held at Oklahoma City Community College.

The NSU Theatre Company presented “Hansel and Gretel”, a children’s theatre production written by Christopher Miller, assistant professor of theatre, and directed by Robyn Pursley, assistant professor of theatre, with designs by NSU Theatre faculty members, September 19-23 for an audience of over 2,000 elementary age students.

Vaughn Roste, assistant professor of music, wrote and successfully defended his general exams at Louisiana State University in August and September respectively. He is now officially ABD for the DMA degree in Choral Conducting. His proposal for his dissertation on various choral settings of the Seven Last Words of Christ from the Cross has been submitted and is in the process of being approved.

NSU’s College of Liberal Arts’ Department of Communication, Art and Theatre under the direction of Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford, chair, held nine children’s camps over a five-week period this past summer. Dr. Dana Eversole, professor of mass communication, served as executive director of the camp and Barbara Fuller, Instructor of Educational Foundations and Leadership was the camp director and a camp instructor. More than 300 students were in attendance. Fuller created a new camp called Iron Chef Kids that was so popular enrollment grew enough that two sections of the camp were offered. Each Friday campers were treated to a field trip. Iron Chef Kids were able to attend a formal luncheon at Gilcrease Museum complimentary of Sodexo. David Wilcox, NSU’s Sodexo manager helped get this great opportunity arranged and provided icing for the campers’ use when they made desserts. Several individuals in the NSU community provided scholarships for employees’ children to attend camp. Peggy Glenn Summit, executive director of foundation and development, Dr. Ron Cambiano, assistant professor of Educational Foundations and Leadership, Jerry Cook, director of community relations and Suzanne Myers, director of Parent and Transfer Programs helped 10 children attend camp. The camps will continue next summer under the Department of Communication, Art and Theatre with hopes of adding three more camp options.

Dr. Virginia Whitekiller, associate professor of social work, published Nancy Ward: Ghighau, Head Beloved Woman of the Cherokees. In R. Hamilton & K. Coody (Eds). Cherokee writers from the Flint Hills of Oklahoma: An anthology. INDIGITRONIC Publishing House.

Rick Shelton, coordinator of academic services in the Center for Teaching and Learning, and Jerol Skinner, online instructional designer in CTL, attended the annual conference of Blackboard learning management system (Bb World) in Las Vegas in July. This helped prepare them to assist the NSU community in our transition to a new version the LMS (Blackboard Learn 9.1).

Linda Summers has joined the Center for Teaching and Learning as a Coordinator of Academic Services (she was formerly Instructor of Library Services at NSU). Linda completed 12 weeks of Blackboard 9.1 training over the summer, receiving Teaching & Learning Online Certification and Advanced Teaching & Learning Online Certification.

Sandra Martin, Health Sciences resource coordinator in the John Vaughan Library, is serving as President of the Oklahoma Health Sciences Library Association. During her term, she has planned the programs for the group’s annual meetings, including “Partnering to Provide Healing Hands” at NSU Muskogee, “Community Medicine” at OU-Tulsa Schusterman Library, and “Caring for Creatures Great and Small” at the OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences.

Gary Cheatham received a “Special Thanks” from the Oswego Historical Society for providing information used at the Symposium on the Life and Times of John A. Mathews: From Slaveholder Road to Union Street (held September 17, 2011, Oswego, Kansas).

Dr. Richard Castillo, optometry, presented several lectures on ophthalmic surgery to the New Jersey Society of Optometric Physicians. He attended the semi-annual meeting of the National Commission on Vision and Health in Washington, DC where he is a commission member. Dr. Castillo presented a continuing education program to the Kentucky Optometric Association. He presented an educational program to the North Dakota Optometric Association.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the November issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document. If you have any questions, contact Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok.edu. The deadline for the November issue is October 30. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Deans and Division & Department Chairs

College of Liberal Arts

• Dr. Mike Chanslor - Interim Dean
• Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford - Communication, Art and Theater
• Dr. Mark Bighley - Music and Humanities
• Dr. Audell Shelburne - Languages and Literature 
• Dr. Bill Corbett - Social Sciences
• Dr. Kathlyn Shahan - Social Work
• Dr. Cari Keller - Criminal Justice and Legal Studies 
• Major Jason Junkens - Military Science

College of Education

• Dr. Kay Grant - Dean
• Dr. Pamela Fly - Associate Dean
• Dr. Louis White - Assistant Dean
• Dr. Deborah Landry - Curriculum & Instruction
• Dr. Mark Giese - Health & Kinesiology
• Dr. Renee Cambiano - Educational Foundations & Leadership 
• Dr. Richard Williams - Psychology & Counseling

College of Business & Technology

• Dr. Roger Collier - Interim Dean
• Dr. Kathy Reese - Interim Associate Dean 
• Dr. John Yeutter - Accounting & Finance
• Dr. Anne Davey - Business Administration 
• Dr. Michael Turner - IS & Technology

College of Science & Health Professions 

• Dr. Martin Venneman - Dean
• Dr. Pam Hathorn - Associate Dean
• Dr. April Adams - Natural Sciences
• Dr. Darryl Linde - Mathematics & Computer Science 
• Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Health Professions

College of Optometry

• Dr. Doug Penisten - Dean
• Dr. Michelle Welch - Associate Dean
• Mary Stratton - Assistant Dean of Administration

Muskogee Campus

• Dr. Tim McElroy - Dean

Library

• Ms. Paula Settoon - Interim Dean

Broken Arrow Campus 

• Dr. Christee Jenlink - Dean
  

Letter from the Interim Provost

Hello Faculty and Staff,

We are already issuing the last Academic Times for the fall semester. Good things continue to happen at this university. Many of our faculty, students and staff traveled to Lawton recently for Oklahoma Research Day. Banner go-live for student registration for Spring 2012 began the last week of October. We are on task for our HLC reaccreditation visit in March. Plans are being finalized for the first Professional Development Day on November 22 and many other activities are taking place. We will soon welcome our new President, Dr. Steve Turner to the NSU campuses. Take the time to introduce yourself to him and let him know the exciting things that are happening at NSU. Please be safe in your travels for the holidays and as we wind down the semester, I want to thank each and everyone for your hard work. Thank you to all who have contributed to this issue of the Academic Times. Happy Holidays!

Janet E. Bahr
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Dr. Abia was an invited speaker at an NSF funded PIPESTEMS program at Tulsa Community College-Metro campus on September 28, 2011. His topic for the presentation was “Biomass to Fuel, Ionic Liquid Leads the Way”.

Dr. April Adams hosted a booth at Oklahoma Science Teacher Association Conference to recruit teachers for the new Online M.Ed. in Science Education degree at the University of Central Oklahoma on October 1, 2011. Dr. Adams participated as a member of the Program Accreditation Committee of the Oklahoma Commission on Teacher Preparation on October 13, 2011.

Dr. Cindy Cisar chaired the student poster competition at the Oklahoma Water Research Symposium and Governor’s Water Conference in Norman, Oklahoma on October 18th and 19th.

Dr. Tiffany Maher attended training for Supplemental Instruction (SI) Leaders in Kansas City Missouri. SI will be implemented in the spring semester in a pilot study of four courses in the College of Science and Health Professions.

Ms. Lori Murray was recognized with a plaque for her service as the outgoing President of Region Nurses Association 03 at the Oklahoma Nurses Association 2011 Annual Convention.

NSU - Broken Arrow will be the host site of a 2012 Algebra I Summer Institute developed for in-service teachers. Tulsa Public Schools and Oklahoma City Public Schools will be partners in this project. Dr. Martha Parrott will be the host and coordinator for the Broken Arrow summer institute. “Change is Good: You Go First” was the focus of a Higher Education Invitational Forum sponsored by the DaVinci Institute. As part of the forum, Dr. Martha Parrott facilitated discussions related to teaching and learning among higher education administrators and faculty. The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of Oklahoma Christian University recently recognized Dr. Parrott as the 2011 Outstanding Alumni for her contributions to mathematics teaching and learning.

Dr. Mark Paulissen published an article entitled “Geographic Variation in Learning of an Escape Behavior in the Little Brown Skink (Scincella lateralis)” in the JOURNAL OF ETHOLOGY. This article showed skinks (a small species of lizard) from Oklahoma were better learners than skinks from Louisiana.

Dr. Mia Revels presented her research to the Indian Nations Audubon Society on September 15. Her talk was titled “Flooding: How does it affect Swainson’s Warbler distribution, abundance, and reproductive success in Oklahoma?” This past spring it rained 11 inches in one week in southeastern Oklahoma, just as the Swainson’s Warblers had begun incubating their first clutch of eggs. Dr. Revels discussed how this affected the nesting Swainson’s Warblers on the Little River National Wildlife Refuge, as well as the effect of flooding on their distribution in other parts of the state.

Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand was awarded the first Outstanding Nurse Educator Award by the Oklahoma League for Nursing at the October 27, 2011 annual meeting.

Dr. Bill Corbett, professor of history and chair of the department of social science, will receive the 2012 Public Humanities Award from the Oklahoma Humanities Council for his dedication to providing outstanding public programming across the state. Dr. Corbett has been an active and popular scholar for several OHC programs, including Let’s Talk About It, Oklahoma! and Territory Speakers. Dr. Corbett also served as the state scholar for the Council’s first Museum on Main Street exhibit, Journey Stories. Dr. Corbett will be honored at the Oklahoma Humanities Awards dinner, March 22, 2012, at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City.

Dr. Jason Dovel, assistant professor of music, was a guest artist at the University of Memphis, University of Louisiana at Monroe, and Arkansas Tech University during October 2011, where he presented the solo recital, “Music for Trumpet and Computer.” While in Louisiana, he was featured in a radio interview with KEDM, the Monroe NPR affiliate. He also traveled to Kansas with members of the NSU trumpet studio to the Midwest Trumpet Festival, where he performed with the NSU Baroque Trumpet Ensemble and served as guest faculty on the “Careers in Music” panel discussion. In Oklahoma, he played trumpet in the Tulsa Opera production of The Barber of Seville and played in a joint concert by the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra and Tulsa Oratorio Chorus.

Ryunsuke Hamada, NSU senior, performed in a masterclass with Ralph Sauer, retired principal trombone of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Hamada is a student of Dr. Norman Wika.

Dr. Norman Wika, assistant professor of music, was invited to serve as an adjudicator for the 2011 Capital City Band Expo held at Sanderson High School in Raleigh, NC on October 22, 2011. The competition featured 20 of the top high school marching bands from North Carolina.

The NSU Faculty Brass Quintet, Dr. Jason Dovel, Dr. Robert Bailey, Dr. Norman Wika, Marsha Thompson, and Kevin Miller, performed recitals at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center, Owasso High School, St. Joseph’s Catholic School, and Northeastern State University in October 2011.

The NSU Geography Club and Geography faculty are sponsoring activities for Geography Awareness Week Nov 13-19th. This year’s theme is “DISCOVERING GEOGRAPHY THROUGH COMMUNITY EXPLORATION”. Dr. Martin Tadlock will launch Geography Awareness Week at 3p.m. on Monday November 14th in the Seminary Hall conference room. Several community speakers will present afternoon talks related to city planning, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), business, local food systems, and emergency management issues. Talks will be Tuesday through Thursday in WEBB 614, with most of the presentations occurring on Wednesday (GIS Day). A walking tour of downtown Tahlequah will conclude the week’s activities. All are welcome. For more information contact, Dr. Mark Carper, Dr. John Milbauer, or Dr. Christine Hallman.

“Communicating with Babies”, a chapter from Being with Babies: Understanding and Responding to the Infant in Your Care by Beverly Kovach and Dr. Denise Da Ros-Voseles was reprinted in the March 2011 issue of Young Children which is published by NAEYC.

Quon G. Jiao, Denise Da Ros-Voseles, Kathleen M. T. Collins, and Anthony J. Onwuegbuzie authored “Academic procrastination and the performance of graduate-level cooperative groups in research methods course” in the Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Vol. 11, No. 1, January 2011, pp. 119-138.

Dr. Angel Kymes, Dr. Pamela Louderback and Dr. Barbara Ray presented “Project I’M READY” at the John Hope Franklin Reconciliation in America National Symposium in June, 2011.

Dr. Angel Kymes published an article titled “Media Literacy and Information Literacy: A need for Collaboration and Communication,“ in the summer 2011 issue of the Journal Action in Teacher Education.

Dr. Deborah Landry, Ms. Bonnie Giese and Dr. Roxanne Fillmore from the College of Education attended the 2011 Critical Questions in Educational Conference, in Kansas City, KS, on October 17 and 18. They presented on “Digital Media and Concerns For Our Youngest Students”. This presentation focused on how teachers must learn how to teach using digital media effectively since it has become a primary source in society. Concerns of how the roles/methods in teaching and learning have changed were discussed.

Dr. Deborah Landry and Ms. Bonnie Giese attended the Kappa Delta Pi Convocation in Indianapolis, IN, on November 3-5th with two undergraduate students, Angela Fancher and Ruthann Slape. Dr. Landry presented on “Enlivening Your Classroom with Oral History” and Dr. Landry and Ms. Giese presented on the “Controversial Issues in Children’s Literature”. Angela Fancher and Ruthann Slape each presented a poster on the “Celebration of Teaching” and “Kappa Rho and Kid’s World 2010”.

Ms. Jodi Legnon, faculty member in Curriculum and Instruction, was a panelist for “Autism Like: Graham’s Story” at the 2nd International Infant and Toddler Conference held in Tulsa.

ECED graduate candidate, Ms. Charity McCann, under the direction of Dr. Denise Da Ros-Voseles, had her article, “Puppetry in the Preschool Classroom” published in Focus on Pre-K & K, vol 23, no. 3, a quarterly publication from the Association for Childhood Education International.

The Oklahoma Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (OAECTE) Fall meeting was held at the NSU-BA Reading Clinic on September 30th. Dr. Stephan Sargent provided a tour of the facilities for 14 university faculty from 5 other universities across the state. Dr. Peggy Lisenbee, President of OAECTE, invited Ms. Jeannie McDaniel, State Representative for House District #78, to attend and provide tips to faculty for working with legislators on higher education and common education issues.

Dr. Stephan Sargent, Dr. Mindy Smith, Dr. Tobi Thompson, Ms. Meagan Moreland, and Ms. Ingrid Ahrens-Massey are members of the Board of Directors for the Tulsa County Reading Council (TCRC). Ms. Meagan Moreland serves as the 2011-2012 President of TCRC.

Dr. Stephan Sargent is attending Scholastic’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Conference in New York City. This is in preparation for holding a family literacy summit at NSU-BA in January for area school teachers, coordinated by Dr. Stephan Sargent and Dr. Mindy Smith.

Dr. Stephan Sargent, program chair for Reading, was selected to write a book review for the cover of You Can Teach Someone to Read, 2nd Ed. by Lorraine Peoples.

Dr. Stephan Sargent, Dr. Mindy Smith, NSU Reading faculty, along with Nancy Hill and Susan Morrison from SEOSU, and Stephen Burgess from SWOSU had their article, “What is old is new again: Is the foundation of comprehension knowledge still solid?” published in Mentoring Literacy Professionals: Continuing the Spirit of CRA/ALER after 50 years, a publication of the College Reading Association.

Dr. Mindy Smith and Dr. Mary Swanson attended the Scholastic Book Summit in Orlando, Florida.

Dr. Mary Swanson, Dr. Denise Da Ros-Voseles and Dr. Peggy Lisenbee , three faculty in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, will each have chapters published in an upcoming book entitled, Unintended Consequences of Technology.

Dr. Mary Swanson and Ms. Meagan Moreland brought Dr. Douglas Buehl to the NSU-BA Campus. Buehl, a noted reading specialist in Wisconsin, is the author of multiple books on secondary literacy. Over 180 area teachers attended his lecture.

Dr. Mary Swanson recently co-authored the article, “K-8 Preservice Teachers’ Attitudes, Knowledge, and Confidence in Application of Content Literacy Strategies.” This article will appear in the National Teacher Education Journal.

Dr. Mary Swanson is currently serving as the Vice-President of the Oklahoma Higher Education Reading Council, the Oklahoma IRA affiliate council for Oklahoma reading professors.

Two of Linda Wilson’s classes volunteered at the Vietnam Traveling Wall of Remembrance at Union 6th & 7th Grade Center. NSU students and professors at that event logged over 60 volunteer hours. They helped in various areas as well as assisted families and individuals with “rubbings” of their friends’ and loved ones’ names. They were honored to have the opportunity to visit with several Vietnam Veterans who also volunteered at the site. Over 54,000 names are included on the traveling wall of remembrance. The Union Jr. ROTC worked for two years to raise funds to bring the traveling wall to the Tulsa area.

Drs. Linda Wilson, Martha Parrott and Donna Shelton attended the First Invitational Higher Education Forum on October 14 at OKC Community College. The event was sponsored by the DaVinci Institute.

The Elementary Education Program in the College of Education (COE) offered a second study session for the OSAT Exam on November 9th. Since the OSAT Exam covers many content areas outside of the ELED program, NSU faculty members within the COE and from partnerships with other colleges at NSU are collaborating to review teacher education candidates for their OSAT Exam. The review was free to teacher education candidates since the following NSU faculty is volunteering their time and expertise: Dr. Joan Wipf, Dr. Tobi Thompson, Ms. Ingrid Massey, Mrs. Meagan Moreland, Dr. Peggy Lisenbee, Dr. Linda Wilson, Ms. Suzanne Dovel, Ms. Rhea Johnston, Dr. Pam Christol and Dr. Dorothy Radin.

NSU Reading faculty have actively spoken and presented results of research projects at the annual convention of the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers – ALER (Visit the ALER website.)

The following presentations were given by NSU Reading Faculty:

• Using a Digital Literacy Environment to Measure and Promote Growth, Dr. Stephan E. Sargent
• A Study of the Transfer of Literacy Practices from Reading Methods Courses/Reading Clinics to Student Teaching Experiences , Dr. Stephan E. Sargent and Ms. Meagan Moreland
• Reading Teaching Self-efficacy: A Study of Nationally Board Certified Teachers, Dr. Stephan E. Sargent, Ms. Meagan Moreland, and Dr. Mindy Smith
• Leisure Reading Habits and Knowledge of Children’s Books of Teachers: The Relationship to Classroom Literacy Teaching Practices, Dr. Stephan E. Sargent, Ms. Meagan Moreland, Dr. Mindy Smith, Dr. Mary Swanson, and Dr. Tobi Thompson

Dr. Richard Castillo had an article published in the September 2011 edition of Ophthalmology Management over surgical instrumentation for cataract surgery. Dr. Castillo was invited to give 5 hours of continuing education lectures over medical eye care to the Missouri Optometric Association in Branson, MO. He attended the Applied Basic Science item selection committee meeting of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry where he chairs the systemic disease section.

Ms. Paula Settoon and Dr. Melissa Mahan were selected to present on NSU’s First Year Experience Task Force at the 10th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Education in January 2012.

Linda West served on the workshop planning committee for the fall workshop of the Oklahoma Library Association, Technical Services Roundtable.

Award Name: Student Support Services Award Dates: September 1, 2011 - August 31, 2012
Award Amount: $ 297,920
University Indirect: $19,637
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education
Principal Investigator: Ms. Connie Wright

Award Name: S-STEM for Talented Undergrads - Math/Science; Year 5 of 5 Award Dates: September 15, 2011 - September 14, 2012
Award Amount: $139,565
Principal Investigator: Dr. Rick Matzen Funding Agency: National Science Foundation

Award Name: RUSO - Violence Prevention Program Extension Yr 2 of 2 (2011-2012)
Award Dates: September 1, 2011 - August 31, 2012
Award Amount: $55,096
Principal Investigator: Libby Rogers Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Justice through East Central University

Award Name: Preventing Risky Behaviors Among Minority College Students 2011-2012
Award Dates: September 1, 2011 - August 31, 2012 Award Amount: $30,000
Principal Investigator: Libby Rogers
Funding Agency: DHHS through the National Indian Women’s Health Resource Center

Award Name: Health & Wellness Initiative for Women Attending Minority Institutions 2011-2012
Award Dates: September 1, 2011 - August 31, 2012 Award Amount: $20,000
Principal Investigator: Libby Rogers
Funding Agency: DHHS through the National Indian Women’s Health Resource Center

Award Name: McAlester Scottish Rite Care Clinic 2010-2011
Award Dates: August 15, 2011 - August 14, 2012
Award Amount: $26,300
Principal Investigator: Dr. Karen Patterson Funding Agency: McAlester Scottish Rite

Grant Award Name: Oklahoma Small Business Development Center Service Agreement 2011
Award Dates: 07/01/2011 - 12/31/2012 Award Increase Amount: $50,250 Total Award: $100,750
Principal Investigator: Mr. John Blue

Grant Name: Burying Beetle 2011-2012 Award Dates: September 1, 2011 - August 31, 2012
Award Amount: $ 45,154
Funding Agency: Oklahoma Military Department
Project Director: Dr. Amy Smith

Award Name: Development of Reservoirs of Antibiotic Resistance 2011
Award Dates: 10/01/2011 - 12/31/2011 Award Amount: $10,462
Principal Investigator: Dr. Cindy Cisar Funding Agency: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE)

Award Name: NCAA Coach Enhancement Grant 2011-2012
Program Dates: July 1, 2011 - June 30, 2012
Award Amount: $16,000
Principal Investigator: Matt Cochran Funding Agency: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)

Award Name: Sure Step 2011-2012 Award Dates: 006/01/2011-05/31/2012 Award Amount: $62,750
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation through the University of Central Oklahoma
Principal Investigator: Dr. Kathi McDowell

Award Name: Alliance for Minority Participation 2011-2012
Award Dates: September 1, 2011 - August 31, 2012
Award Amount: $36,127.00
Principal Investigator: Dr. Jody Buckholtz Funding Agency: National Science Foundation through Oklahoma State University

Award Name: Celebration of Teaching 2011-2012
Award Dates: 09/01/11 - 06/21/12 Award Amount: $7,000
Funding Agency: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
Principal Investigator: Dr. Deborah Landry

Award Name: Indigenous Scholar Development Center
Award Dates: 10/01/2011 – 09/30/2012 Award Amount: $1,843,959
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education (Title III)
Principal Investigator: Dr. Ron Cambiano

Award Name: Student Academic Success Center
Award Dates: 10/01/2011 – 09/30/2016 Award Amount: $1,607,616
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education (Title III)
Principal Investigator: Dr. Tom Jackson

Award Name: Inbre-Jr. Investigator Ischemic Stroke 2011-2012
Award Dates: 10/01/2011 - 03/31/2012 Award Amount: $61,956; Year 1 of 3 Funding Agency: OU Health Science Center through National Institutes of Health
Project Director: Dr. Kevin Wang

During the month of October, NSU students, Lindsey Taylor, Madison Hayes, Rachel Taylor, and Haley Stocks, went on an exchange program to Weifang, China. They had the opportunity to speak to Chinese students about NSU and coming to study in America. The students participated in Chinese language classes and culture classes during the four weeks they were there. They also planned their own travels to cities including Beijing to see the Great Wall, Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square. For three of the girls it was their first time out of the country. Each student kept a blog recording their time and experiences in China that was shared with family and friends. This was the first exchange program with Weifang University.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document. If you have any questions, contact Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok.edu. The deadline for the January issue is December 30. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Deans and Division & Department Chairs

College of Liberal Arts

• Dr. Mike Chanslor - Interim Dean
• Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford - Communication, Art and Theater
• Dr. Mark Bighley - Music and Humanities
• Dr. Audell Shelburne - Languages and Literature 
• Dr. Bill Corbett - Social Sciences
• Dr. Kathlyn Shahan - Social Work
• Dr. Cari Keller - Criminal Justice and Legal Studies 
• Major Jason Junkens - Military Science

College of Education

• Dr. Kay Grant - Dean
• Dr. Pamela Fly - Associate Dean
• Dr. Louis White - Assistant Dean
• Dr. Deborah Landry - Curriculum & Instruction
• Dr. Mark Giese - Health & Kinesiology
• Dr. Renee Cambiano - Educational Foundations & Leadership 
• Dr. Richard Williams - Psychology & Counseling

College of Business & Technology

• Dr. Roger Collier - Interim Dean
• Dr. Kathy Reese - Interim Associate Dean 
• Dr. John Yeutter - Accounting & Finance 
• Dr. Anne Davey - Business Administration 
• Dr. Michael Turner - IS & Technology

College of Science & Health Professions 

• Dr. Martin Venneman - Dean
• Dr. Pam Hathorn - Associate Dean
• Dr. April Adams - Natural Sciences
• Dr. Darryl Linde - Mathematics & Computer Science 
• Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Health Professions

College of Optometry

• Dr. Doug Penisten - Dean
• Dr. Michelle Welch - Associate Dean
• Mary Stratton - Assistant Dean of Administration

Muskogee Campus

• Dr. Tim McElroy - Dean

Library

• Ms. Paula Settoon - Interim Dean

Broken Arrow Campus

• Dr. Christee Jenlink - Dean
  

Letter from the Provost

Welcome to our first Academic Times for the spring semester, 2012. We hope you enjoy reviewing the professional and scholarly contributions of our faculty and staff. There are outstanding people at NSU, and that is reinforced every January as I review the tenure and promotion files that come through Academic Affairs. It is reinforced every single day as I see and hear about service that is rendered, events that are planned and carried out, and lives that are changed. It is reinforced by this newsletter that reminds me every month of the outstanding work being done here for our students and the citizens of eastern Oklahoma.

Dr. Martin Tadlock
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Faculty in the M. Ed. Mathematics Education program [Dr. Joan Bell, Dr. Deborah Carment, Mr. Luke Foster, Dr. Dorothy Radin, Dr. Martha Parrott, Dr. Steven Wilkinson] are key players in a state-wide initiative to develop a new mathematics certification for experienced teachers, the Oklahoma Elementary Mathematics Specialist. Oklahoma will be one of 13 states to offer this certification. NSU candidates will be able to pursue a graduate degree concurrently with this certificate program.

Dr. Jody Buckholtz, Dr. James Hicks, and Dr. Mark Paulissen are teaching Supplemental Instruction sections of General Chemistry I, General Physical Science, and General Biological Science respectively. Dr. Tiffany Maher is the Supplemental Instruction Coordinator.

John Diamantopoulos attended the National Joint meeting of the Mathematical Association of America and the American Mathematical Society, January 2012, in Boston, Massachusetts. John Diamantopoulos served as a reviewer for the 9th Edition of “A Survey of Mathematics with Applications” by Angel/Abbott/Runde.

Patrick Harrington presented “Going to Graduate School in Computer Science,” November 2011, to STEM scholarship students in Tahlequah.

SLP faculty attended the American Speech-Language- Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention in San Diego, CA Nov. 17-19, 2011. Dr. Edie Long presented “Honoring 25 Years of the Native American Caucus”. Dr. Karen Patterson and Ms. Amber George presented “Enhancing Student Learning Through Service Learning Projects.”

Dr. Kathi McDowell, Dr. Martha Parrott and Dr. Pamela Christol were awarded funding for the third year of the grant entitled “Get Green for Blue: Outdoor Investigations to Connect Water to You”. The grant is from Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education’s Summer Academy 2012 Program with a direct cost of $14,175.

Dr. Martha Parrott was awarded a fourth service-learning grant in support of the Mathematics Clinic at the Broken Arrow campus. The Mathematics Clinic provides tutor training to pre-service elementary and middle school teachers who, in turn, provide one-on-one help to young children struggling with mathematics. With funding just awarded by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education in support of the Oklahoma Algebra Project, Dr. Martha Parrott, in collaboration with Tulsa Public Schools and other higher education institutions will host a summer institute for Algebra I teachers from northeast Oklahoma on the Broken Arrow campus, July 2012.

Dr. Erik Terdal’s proposed talk to the Heartland eLearning Conference, “Distance learning, distance teaching: Coral Reef Ecology taught from the Caribbean” was accepted following peer review.

Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Institute for Oklahoma Nursing Education (IONE) as a Representative at Large.

Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau presented a poster titled, “Transient assay of site-specific recombination assay in planta” at Oklahoma Research Day on November 4, 2011. The poster was authored by Dr. Frank Yuan- Yeu Yau and Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang. The research focuses on the development of transient assays to test site-specific recombination systems in planta. Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau and Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang’s submission of a manuscript has been accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal on November 29, 2011. Yuan-Yeu Yau and Kevin Wang, Increased regeneration of transformed carrot callus in B5 medium, Journal of Applied Horticulture. Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang and Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau attended NIH OK-INBRE External Advisory Committee Meeting on November 17, 2011 at PHF Conference Center in Oklahoma City. Dr. Wang presented a talk on Low cost clot-dissolving protein from transgenic plants for stroke treatment.

Assistant Professor of Social Work Dr. Eun-Jun Bang’s presentation “Assessing PTSD and Resilience for Adult Daughters of Battered Women” has been accepted at the 2012 Southwestern Psychological Association convention.

The NSU Geography Club and Geography faculty (Dr. Mark Carper, Dr. Christine Hallman, and Dr. John Milbauer) sponsored activities for Geography Awareness Week Nov 13-19th. The theme was “DISCOVERING GEOGRAPHY THROUGH COMMUNITY EXPLORATION”. Speakers for this endeavor were Dr. Martin Tadlock (Interim NSU President), Melissa & Dean Bennett (Guadalupe Oaks Farm, Hulbert, OK), Rick Nation (Clear Creek Seeds, Locust Grove, OK), Leslie Moyer (Sustainable Tahlequah, Tahlequah, OK), Dr. Chuck Ziehr (VP for Teaching & Learning), Janie Goddard (Cherokee Nation Geodata Center), Ed Goss (City of Tahlequah), Elizabeth Montgomery- Anderson (Cherokee Nation Geodata Center), Marty Kimble (Cherokee County 911), Brad Asbill (Cherokee Nation Environmental Programs), and Doug Moore (City of Tahlequah). The week ended with a walking tour of Tahlequah led by Dr. Milbauer.

Kristopher Copeland, instructor of communication, will present a paper on Assessment at the Central States Communication Annual Conference in Cleveland, Ohio in March.

Dr. Brian Cowlishaw, associate professor of English, will be chairing Science Fiction/Fantasy panels at the annual SW/TX PCA/ACA conference in Albuquerque, Feb. 8-11. Many English graduate students will be attending and presenting papers.

Dr. Jason Dovel, assistant professor of music, played trumpet in concerts with the Arkansas Philharmonic Orchestra and the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas in December.

Dr. Christine Hallman, assistant professor of geography, Dr. Peggy Lisenbee, assistant professor of elementary education and Dr. Debbie Landry, associate professor of elementary education, were awarded an Elementary and Secondary Education Act Grant through the OK State Regents of Higher Education. The grant is part of the Improving Teacher Quality State Grant program. The grant project entitled, Geocaching is Catching Students’ Attention in the Classroom, will be a hands-on learning experience which will place teachers in the role of learner. This experience will enable teachers to apply their first-hand knowledge of GPS units and geocaching with effective problem-solving and discovery learning instructional methods. NSU Faculty will be working with teachers in the Nowata Independent School District during the 2012-2013 academic year to implement this grant.

Dr. Ben Kracht, professor of sociology and American Indian studies presented “New Interpretations of Revitalization Movements: A Kiowa Example,” at the 69th Annual Plains Anthropological Conference, Tucson, Arizona last October. He also presented the “Tales of the Maya Skies,” at the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium last November.

Dr. Kimberli Lee, assistant professor of English, will be presenting at the annual CCCC’s conference in St. Louis in March as a member of the panel entitled “Rhetorics of Survivance: Challenging Boundaries of Colonial Thought in Interdisciplinary Texts.” Her paper focuses on American Indian women songwriters who are currently performing and producing in the US music industry.

For the second year in a row Dr. David Madden, assistant professor of criminal justice, has prepared a student mock trial team to compete in the American Mock Trial Association regional competition. The American Mock Trial Association competition is centered around trial simulations. Students develop critical thinking and public speaking skills, and become familiar with legal practices and procedures. This year’s team has nine members, including students who competed last year on the inaugural team. The team competed in November at the Billiken Barristers Invitational at St. Louis University against teams like Eastern Michigan University, Washington University, Indiana University, Saint Louis University, Missouri University, Indiana University, and Kansas University. The team is now preparing for regional competition in Topeka, Kansas in February at Washburn University.

Dr. John Milbauer’s article, “Oklahoma’s County Courthouse Monuments,” has been accepted for publication in Southwestern Geographer.

Dr. Kathlyn Shahan, chair and assistant professor of social work, and Robin Bonifas (Arizona State University) presented Health Disparity in Native Hawaiians Diagnosed with Diabetes at the 57th Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education, Atlanta, GA, October 29, 2011.

Dr. Melissa Strong, assistant professor of English, presented a paper entitled “Gerty Farish’s Girls’ Club and the Work of Class Mediation in The House of Mirth” at the 2011 Pacific Ancient and Modern Language Association conference in November. At the Modern Language Association convention in January 2012, she presented a paper entitled “The Economy of Philanthropy in Huckleberry Finn” and participated in a roundtable in which she discussed using art and popular culture to teach transcendentalism and American romanticism at NSU. Her paper “Survival of the Stupid: The Year of the Flood’s Anti-Darwinism” has been accepted for the ORU Conference on Science and Science Fiction in April 2012.

Assistant Professor of History Dr. Denis Vovchenko’s article, “Modernizing Orthodoxy: Russia and the Christian East (1856-1914),” will be published in the Journal of the History of Ideas in April 2012.

Dr. Anne A. Watson, assistant professor of clarinet, has been asked to perform at the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest® 2012 in Lincoln, Nebraska. She will perform on two separate recitals, one featuring her as a soloist and the other as a member of the Ironwood Trio. Locally, Dr. Watson will be performing in the 2011-12 season with the Tulsa Opera.

Dr. Paul Westbrook, professor of communication, will serve as producer of the Vagina Monologues for the eleventh year. The play is a fund-raising activity for Help-In-Crisis. Traci Clark will direct, and cast members will include NSU students, staff and faculty as well as members of the Tahlequah community. Show dates are March 2, 3 and 4.

Dr. Virginia Whitekiller, associate professor of social work, and Dr. Satara Armstrong, assistant professor of social work, presented their current study, “Attitudes toward the aged: Can one community education assignment make a difference?” at the Council on Social Work Education Meeting last October in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Whitekiller also presented, “Family group conferencing: An indigenous perspective,” at the Oklahoma Indian Child Welfare Conference last November in Midwest City, Oklahoma. Dr. Whitekiller, PI, Child Welfare Traineeship, applied for and received an additional $60,805.00 in federal supplemental funding for FY 2012.

Kin Thompson was named chairman of the Oklahoma Tourism Industry Association (OTIA) at the Governor’s Conference on Tourism this past October. Kin is seen here with Nancy Phillips, Governor Fallin and Max Paty. OTIA is the state’s leading association of tourism professionals.

Dr. Vanessa Anton, Dr. Kathy Hixon (front left to right)and Rhea Johnston (back left) pose with Health and Kinesiology students who participated in their presentation at the Oklahoma Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance convention. Their session was titled “Kaleidoscope: Native American Hoop Dance for Physical Education”.

NSU Teacher Candidate and Health and Physical Education (HPE) Intern, Shaunda Petree (left), wins the SNAG Award (Starting New at Golf) for the Fall 2011 semester. Her intern coordinator, Dr. Vanessa Anton (right), presented the $2,700 in golf equipment to Shaunda at their final internship seminar in Broken Arrow. Shaunda competed against other HPE interns by writing a paper describing how she would use golf in the community and in her school. The judges were SNAG corporate leaders from Boulder, CO, and Tucson, AZ. This is an award that the NSU Health and Kinesiology Department gives each semester to an outstanding HPE intern.

Kathy Hixon attended the McGraw-Hill Personal Health Symposium in October at the Ritz Carlton in Amelia Island Florida. The purpose of the symposium was to share idea’s and experiences in teaching Personal Health with other attendees from Universities around the US and with the McGraw-Hill Health and Human Performance Team.

Dr. Sophia Sweeney, Ms. Devin Basinger, Dr. Renée Cambiano, Dr. Karen Carey, Ms. Emily Finney, Ms. Cindi Fries, Dr. Judy Moody, Dr. Jocelyn Payne, & Mr. Josh Silver were awarded the grant: Through Their Eyes: Northeastern State University Grant Program in Collaborative Course Redesign. The team is redesigning the education course EDUC 3313 Clinical Teaching/Pre-Internship I.

Dr. Tobi Thompson and Ingrid Ahrens Massey have partnered with Bell Elementary in Stilwell, OK in an effort to increase student achievement in reading and literacy skills. Bell students will be served by graduate reading students in the reading clinic weekly during the spring semester. In addition, Dr. Thompson and Ms. Massey will provide on-site consulting and technical assistance to Bell faculty.

Dr. Da Ros-Voseles and Anita Ede presented at the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators annual conference November 1-4. The title of their presentation was,“The Family Involvement Plan: Expanding Teacher Candidates’ Understanding of Children’s Families.”

Dr. Allyson L. Watson presented to the Gates Millennium Scholars Advisory Council, NSU Gates Scholars A Year in Review this past November in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Watson also co-authored a chapter, “Your Story is My Story: Examining the Research Literature on Black Women in Teacher Education”, in the edited book, Women of Color in Higher Education: Turbulent Past, Promising Future (Jean-Marie, G. & Lloyd-Jones, B.) (Eds.). The book was released this past December. Dr. Watson was responsible for the methodology and summative literature portions. Dr. Watson also recently provided a guest editorial for the Broken Arrow Ledger in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. Watson wrote a grant this summer in partnership with Dr. Debbie Landry to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Office of Minority Teacher Recruitment. The grant award was $9.800 and will co-sponsor the annual College of Education Celebration of Teaching Conference in March 2012. Dr. Watson has been invited to serve as an external doctoral committee member for Mrs. Valerie Willis (NSU Alumni) at the University of Oklahoma, Tulsa. Mrs. Willis will complete her doctoral studies in Educational Administration, Curriculum and Supervision at OU.

Dr. Joan Brogan Wipf, Associate Professor in Curriculum and Instruction, and Dr. Denise Da Ros-Voseles, Professor in Curriculum and Instruction co-wrote an article that was accepted for publication and appears in the January/ February 2012 issue of Library Media Connection. The title of the article is “Lost Opportunities: Rediscovering Fairy Tales.” In the article the authors discuss how fairy tales play an important role in connecting readers to their emotional lives and how children connect to fairy tales on an emotional level that helps guide them through the complexities of everyday life. Children easily identify with tales rich in universal feelings, characters that are often a reflection of themselves, and messages of hope.

Dr. Pamela Louderback has been elected to the President-Elect position of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Special Libraries Association.

Mr. Tom Rink has been elected Secretary of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Special Libraries Association.

Ms. Paula Settoon has been chosen to be the co- chair of the Oklahoma Chautauqua, Oklahoma‘s largest humanities event. She has also been elected as the President of the Community Action Project of Tulsa County.

On January 11, 2012 Dr. Richard Castillo attended the Laser and Office Surgery Task for a meeting of the National Board of Examiner in Optometry. He was appointed chair of that committee.

October - December 2011 Grant Awards

Award Name: Teaching & Urban Reform Network (TURN) 2011-2012
Award Dates: September 01, 2011 - June 21, 2012
Award Amount: $9,840
Project Director: Dr. Alyson Watson
Funding Agency: OSRHE- Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

Award Name: Child Welfare Specialization Training Program 2011- 2012
Award Dates: September 30, 2011 - September 29, 2012
Award Amount: $170,805
Project Director: Dr. Virginia Whitekiller
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services-Children’s Bureau through the University at Albany, State University of New York

Award Name: Oklahoma INBRE- Assessing Quasilattice Structure in Imidazolium-based Room Temperature Ionic Liquids
Award Dates: 01/01/2012- 05/31/2012 - Spring 2012
Award Amount: $11,330
Project Director: Dr. Chris Burba

Award Name: Cooper Vision 2012
Award Dates: January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012
Award Amount: $36,100
Project Director: Dr. Thomas Salmon

Award Name: Alternative Education Delivery Program 2012
Award Dates: January 1, 2012 - December 31, 20121
Award Amount: $300,000
Project Director(s): Dr. Karen Patterson
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education

Award Name: AISES-EPSCoR 2011
Award Dates: 09/01/2011-12/31/2011
Project Director: Dr. Phyllis Fife
Award Amount: $6,000
Funding Agency: Oklahoma EPSCoR
January 2012 Grant Awards

January 2012 Grant Awards

Award Name: Science at the Zoo 2012
Award Dates: January 1, 2012- September 30, 2012 Award Amount: $14,410.00
Project Director(s): Dr. Erik Terdal & Dr. Pamela Christol

Award Name: INBRE-Equipment Grant 2012
Award Dates: 12/01/2011 - 03/31/2012
Award Amount: $31,939
Project Director: Dr. Martin Venneman

Award Name: Cherokee Language Degree Program 2011-2012
Award Dates: 10/01/11 - 09/30/12
Award Amount: $100,000
Project Director: Dr. Leslie Hannah
Project Faculty Coordinator: Mr. Wyman Kirk
Funding Agency: Cherokee Nation

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document. If you have any questions, contact Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok.edu. The deadline for the February issue is February 15. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Deans and Division & Department Chairs

College of Liberal Arts

• Dr. Mike Chanslor - Interim Dean
• Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford - Communication, Art and Theater
• Dr. Mark Bighley - Music and Humanities
• Dr. Audell Shelburne - Languages and Literature 
• Dr. Bill Corbett - Social Sciences
• Dr. Kathlyn Shahan - Social Work
• Dr. Cari Keller - Criminal Justice and Legal Studies 
• Major Jason Junkens - Military Science

College of Education

• Dr. Deborah Landry - Interim Dean
• Dr. Allyson Watson - Interim Assistant Dean
• Dr. Louis White - Assistant Dean
• Dr. Peggy Lisenbee - Curriculum & Instruction
• Dr. Mark Giese - Health & Kinesiology
• Dr. Renee Cambiano - Educational Foundations & Leadership
• Dr. Richard Williams - Psychology & Counseling

College of Business & Technology 

• Dr. Roger Collier - Interim Dean
• Dr. Kathy Reese - Interim Associate Dean 
• Dr. John Yeutter - Accounting & Finance Dr. Anne Davey - Business Administration 
• Dr. Michael Turner - IS & Technology

College of Science & Health Professions 

• Dr. Martin Venneman - Dean
• Dr. Pam Hathorn - Associate Dean
• Dr. April Adams - Natural Sciences
• Dr. Darryl Linde - Mathematics & Computer Science 
• Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Health Professions

College of Optometry

• Dr. Doug Penisten - Dean
• Dr. Kippi Wyatt - Assistant Dean
• Dr. Michelle Welch - Associate Dean
• Mary Stratton - Assistant Dean of Administration

Muskogee Campus

• Dr. Tim McElroy - Dean

Library

• Ms. Paula Settoon - Interim Dean

Broken Arrow Campus 

• Dr. Christee Jenlink - Dean
  

Letter from the Provost

Welcome to spring! We are pleased to continue sharing with you some of the accomplishments of our faculty and staff at Northeastern State University. The brief descriptions you find here are indicators of the exceptional and complex nature of the work being done at NSU on a daily basis to provide opportunities for students while positively impacting northeastern Oklahoma.

Residents of Tahlequah, Muskogee, and Broken Arrow appreciate the work we do and acknowledge the positive impact that your work has on their community. Also, all of us in Academic Affairs acknowledge the importance of your work here and the impact of that work on building and rebuilding a democracy, a democracy founded upon principles that speak directly to the ‘common good,’ words that seem to have disappeared from the vocabulary of our body politic.

Keep up the good work for the right reasons, support each other, and dedicate yourselves to doing those things which you believe are in the interest of the ‘common good.’

Martin Tadlock, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

The fifth annual Northeastern State University (NSU) Trumpet Festival was held February 4, 2012, in the NSU Jazz Lab. The featured clinician was Vince DiMartino, international soloist and Matton Professor of Music at Center College. More than 100 trumpeters from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, and Kansas attended the daylong event that was hosted by Dr. Jason Dovel, assistant professor of trumpet.

Dr. David Madden’s Mock Trial team, consisting of 8 students, competed in a regional tournament in Topeka, Kansas. The team won two trials. One member of the team, Ariel Moss, won a best witness award.

Ms. Amy Proctor, instructor of criminal justice, will be the principal investigator on a $199,041 grant from the Department of Justice(COPs)and the Cherokee Nation. She will be researching the impact of drug trafficking through the Native American Nations within the United States.

Dr. Patricia Surman, instructor of flute, was awarded the 2011-12 Yamaha In-Service Fellowship, which will fund a series of outreach concerts with the new music chamber ensemble DuoInteraktiv. She gave a lecture-recital at the 2012 Florida Flute Association’s State Convention on learning to perform music for flute and computer. Dr. Surman will be giving a presentation entitled “Approaching Music for Flute and Computer” at the CMS South Central Conference in Ada, OK on March 1st. In February, she will be going on a concert tour with DuoInteraktiv including appearances at Baylor University, the University of North Texas, East Central Oklahoma State University, and Texas A&M Commerce. In November 2011, Dr. Surman was featured performer at the Rochester Flute Fair in Rochester, NY, where she gave a recital of twentieth century American music for piccolo and piano.

Dr. Michael Wilds, Director of the NSU Crime and Justice Institute, organized and sponsored the Gangs 101 (CLEET certified) seminar on February 17. More than 225 law enforcement officers, educators, and NSU students attended the seminar. In addition, Channel 2, Channel 8, Channel 51, KRMG radio station, the Tulsa World, and the Broken Arrow Ledger covered the seminar.

Great news from our Early Childhood Program! Taylor Kearney has been selected to receive the DaVinci Fellowship Award from the DaVinci Institute. She will receive a $3000 stipend when she begins her first year of teaching in an Oklahoma School.

Dr. Ken Jones, information systems instructor, and Dr. Michael Landry, professor of marketing, attended a training session entitled “When Nature Disrupts the Supply Chain” on January 10 presented by the Tulsa Chapter of National Association of Purchasing Managers.

As a member of the marketing committee for development of a new museum in Northwest Arkansas, Dr. Michael Landry, professor of marketing, was involved in a day- long strategy session October 28 in Bentonville, Arkansas. Besides committee members, also participating were the representatives of the museum’s advertising agency and the museum’s interim executive director. Under the coordination of Dr. Michael Landry, recruiters from J. B. Hunt spoke to students at both the Tahlequah and Broken Arrow campuses on October 5 about career opportunities as J. B. Hunt moves its focus from being a trucking to a logistics company. The recruiters also participated in the job fair at the Broken Arrow campus that day.

Dr. Ken Jones, information systems instructor, Dr. Michael Landry, professor of marketing, and Dale Schrimshaw, technology instructor, met with the Supply Chain Advisory Council of the College of Business and Technology November 18 to seek industry comments regarding possible curriculum revisions in the supply chain major. “Our goals are to align ourselves as closely as possible with exactly what industry needs and to prepare our students in those directions,” according to Dr. Landry.

Dr. Kathleen Reese, interim associate dean and professor of marketing, and Dr. Michael Landry, professor of marketing, attended a daylong Social Media Marketing Conference in Tulsa presented by Skillpath Seminars in October.

Dr. Abia was a recipient of $3999 on an OKINBRE grant in January 2012. Dr. Abia was also invited to speak at the Tulsa Community College science seminar series in February.

Dr. April Adams participated as a member of the Program Accreditation Committee of the Oklahoma Commission on Teacher Preparation on February 9, 2012. She updated the Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teacher Association (NOMSTA) web site in preparation for the upcoming NOMSTA Conference on March 3, 2012.

Dr. Cindy Cisar, department of natural sciences, attended the OK-INBRE Primarily Undergraduate Institution Retreat on Enhancing Interdisciplinary Education through MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) October, 2011.

Brian Stephenson presented a poster on his research with Dr. Cindy Cisar at Oklahoma Research Day November 4, 2011. The title of his poster was “Efflux Pump Contribution to Fluoroquinolone Resistance in Environmental Bacteria”.

Dr. Cindy Cisar was a co-presenter at the Oklahoma NSF EPSCoR Advisory Committee meeting on November 16, 2011. White papers for the NSF Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: Track-2 (RII Track-2) were presented to the committee. Drs. Cindy Cisar (PI) and Jonathan Fisher (co-PI), department of natural sciences, gave a presentation to the Oklahoma Water Research Advisory Board January 6, 2012 on their grant proposal “Impact of Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent on Nitrogen Cycling by Stream Bacteria”. The proposal was selected by the board for funding.

Dr. Craig Clifford, professor in natural sciences, was elected Chair of the Community Campus Coalition of Tahlequah. Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand, professor in health professions, was a Co-Chair of the Coalition shortly after its start over a year ago.

Dr. John de Banzie organized the Science and Technology Seminar Series. The seminars this semester will include the 200th presentation organized by Dr. de Banzie.

Dr. Jessica Martin and her colleagues M. Sandy (University of California, Santa Barbara), J.N. Carter-Franklin (Genentech), and A. Butler (University of California, Santa Barbara) published an article titled “Vanadium Bromoperoxidase from Delisea pulchra: Enzyme-catalyzed formation of Bromofuranone and Attendant Disruption of Quorum Sensing” in the journal Chemical Communications in November 2011. Article Citation: M. Sandy, J.N. Carter-Franklin, J.D. Martin, and A. Butler. Chem. Commun., 2011, 47 (44), 12086-12088.

Dr. Mia Revels was awarded the “Certificate of Merit”Award by the Oklahoma Ornithological Society at their annual meeting in Edmond, Oklahoma. This award is presented to individuals demonstrating outstanding accomplishments in the field of Birds, Nature, and Wildlife Conservation.

Dr. Erik Terdal secured support for his tropical wildlife ecology research from the Hidden Valley Inn in Belize and placed six wildlife cameras on their 7,200 forested acres.

Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang and Dr. Frank Yuan- Yeu Yau attended the Health Research workshop at Francis Tuttle Technology Centers Rockwell campus in Oklahoma City on January 12, 2012.

Dr. Sue Woods gave a presentation called “Updates in Virology and Biochemistry” to the residents at the University of Oklahoma Family Practice Residency Program in Ramona, Oklahoma on Dec. 27. The discussion included information on prions, newly isolated viruses, H5N1 research, oncolytic viruses, siRNA and lincRNA. Dr. Sue Woods attended a workshop at Caney Valley High School on Jan.16. One of the sessions was on internet security on campuses. Another was on common core curriculum. The NSU-BA Pre-Professional Health Club met on Jan. 23 to organize meetings for the semester. Jessica Roberts was guest speaker; she informed the group of upcoming NSU-BA SGA activities and enlisted the group's help with some projects. Dr. Woods is the sponsor of the club.

Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau and Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang are co-authors in a manuscript titled “The Bxb1 recombination system demonstrates heritable transmission of site-specific excision in Arabidopsis”. The manuscript was sent to the peer-reviewed Journal of BMC Biotechnology for reviewing.

Pamela Louderback has been appointed to the SLA Information Outlook Advisory Council. The Information Outlook Advisory Council works with the magazine’s editor to help set editorial direction and determine editorial content. In addition, Pamela has been elected as Vice- President of the Knowledge and Information Professionals Association. KIPA is an evolving umbrella group of diverse knowledge and information professionals who share a common goal of advancing the intelligent sharing of personal and organizational knowledge. Their purpose is to provide a forum for knowledge and information professionals to exchange ideas and share experiences.

Linda West will be presenting a program at the annual Oklahoma Library Association Conference in Norman March 30th about “The Library of Congress Classification.”

January 2012 Grant Awards

Award Name: Get Green for Blue: 2012

Award Dates: January 1, 2012 - September 30, 2012

Award Amount: $14,175.00

Project Director(s): Dr. Kathi McDowell, Dr. Pamela Christol and Dr. Martha Parrott

Purpose of Award: During this one week academy, students will collect and analyze water quality data, determine the threats to water quality, and develop possible solutions. Students will conduct water experiments, take field trips, and explore related career opportunities. Ultimately, students will be transformed into potential researchers, scientist and statisticians who will present findings through technology driven presentations to parents.

Funding Agency: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

Award Name: Geocaching is Catching Students’ Attention 2012

Award Dates: January 1, 2012 - August 31, 2012

Award Amount: $33,227

Project Director: Dr. Debbie Landry, Dr. Peggy Lisenbee, Dr. Christine Hallman

Purpose: To incorporate a wide range of technology during the professional development for teachers, with an emphasis on using GPS receivers to problem solve, collect data, and document results. Teachers will use the knowledge of GPS units and geocaching with problem solving and discovery learning instructional methods.

Funding Agency: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document. If you have any questions, contact Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok.edu. The deadline for the March issue is March 15. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Deans and Division & Department Chairs

College of Liberal Arts

• Dr. Mike Chanslor - Interim Dean
• Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford - Communication, Art and Theater
• Dr. Mark Bighley - Music and Humanities
• Dr. Audell Shelburne - Languages and Literature
• Dr. Bill Corbett - Social Sciences
• Dr. Kathlyn Shahan - Social Work
• Dr. Cari Keller - Criminal Justice and Legal Studies
• Major Jason Junkens - Military Science

College of Education

• Dr. Deborah Landry - Interim Dean
• Dr. Allyson Watson - Interim Assistant Dean
• Dr. Louis White - Assistant Dean
• Dr. Peggy Lisenbee - Curriculum & Instruction
• Dr. Mark Giese - Health & Kinesiology
• Dr. Renee Cambiano - Educational Foundations & Leadership
• Dr. Richard Williams - Psychology & Counseling

College of Business & Technology

• Dr. Roger Collier - Interim Dean
• Dr. Kathy Reese - Interim Associate Dean
• Dr. John Yeutter - Accounting & Finance
• Dr. Anne Davey - Business Administration
• Dr. Michael Turner - IS & Technology

College of Science & Health Professions

• Dr. Martin Venneman - Dean
• Dr. Pam Hathorn - Associate Dean
• Dr. April Adams - Natural Sciences
• Dr. Darryl Linde - Mathematics & Computer Science
• Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Health Professions

College of Optometry

• Dr. Doug Penisten - Dean
• Dr. Kippi Wyatt - Assistant Dean
• Dr. Michelle Welch - Associate Dean
• Mary Stratton - Assistant Dean of Administration

Muskogee Campus

• Dr. Tim McElroy - Dean

Library

• Ms. Paula Settoon - Interim Executive Director

Broken Arrow Campus

• Dr. Christee Jenlink - Dean

Letter from the Provost

Welcome to this issue of the Academic Times. Thank you for your contribution to this newsletter, and for the outstanding work you are doing at NSU. We share each issue of the Times with colleagues at other RUSO institutions, and I encourage you to do the same thing. I know that we learn from each other. I also know that in sharing what we do, others are sometimes inspired to create something new, innovative, and tailored to their own particular needs.

Continue sharing through the newsletter and in other venues across the university. Collaboration is a core value that we can live every day at NSU.

Martin Tadlock, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Dr. Jude Abia was an ambassador for NSU during an invited lectureship at the science seminar series at Tulsa Community College-SE campus. Dr. Abia lectured on the topic of Biomass conversion to Biofuel using Ionic Liquid on the night of February 14, 2012.

Dr. April Adams presented a workshop entitled, “Professional Development When You Want It,” at the Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teacher Association Conference at the NSU Tahlequah campus held on March 3, 2012. The workshop concerned the new online M.Ed. in Science Education program. Dr. Adams exhibited an informational booth concerning the new online M.Ed. in Science Education program at the Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teacher Association Conference at the NSU Tahlequah campus held on March 3, 2012.

Dr. April Adams and Dr. Pamela Christol were elected Co-Secretary/Treasurer; Dr. Adams was elected High Science Division Director; and Dr. Christol was elected Elementary Science Division Director at the Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teacher Association Conference at the NSU Tahlequah campus held on March 3, 2012.

Dr. Pamela Christol exhibited an informational table concerning the National Science Teacher Association at the Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teacher Association Conference at the NSU Tahlequah campus held on March 3, 2012.

At the annual conference of the Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teacher Association on March 3, three presentations on famous mathematicians were made by NSU students: Lauren Davey, Kalin Lee, Marcus Medley, Jeremiah Melvin, William Smith, Blane Burge, Amanda Hartman, Tandy Roberts, Megan Rowan, Haley Crane, Aaron Hellinger, Falicia Mansfield, Miranda Sawyer, and Alex Thompson. These students are currently enrolled in the History of Mathematics course, taught by Max Ellis.

Dr. Patrick Harrington conducted a workshop for department faculty at the Broken Arrow campus on March 6: “How to Make a Math Test in Word and Create a Grade Book in Excel”. The session was a hands-on and instructional activity that was customized for each faculty member who participated. The use of the equation editor, numbered lists, line and paragraph spacing, relative and absolute reference, and functions and formulas was covered.

Dr. Tiffany Maher assumed her duties as President of the Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teacher Association at the annual conference at the NSU Tahlequah campus held on March 3, 2012.

Dr. Mark Paulissen served as a reviewer for the peer- reviewed journals “Biology Letters” and “Zoological Studies” in February 2012.

Dr. Spence Pilcher successfully completed the Quality Matters Applying the Rubric online workshop.

Mr. Gordon Shamblin and Mr. Steve Rice conducted a Q & A session on creating equations in Microsoft Word for mathematics faculty members in Tahlequah on March 6.

Dr. Amy Smith hosted a job interview workshop for fish and wildlife majors.

Dr. Erik Terdal, with Belize an colleague Roni Martinez, submitted an abstract entitled, “MARGAY AND OCELOT CATS IN THE MOUNTAIN PINE RIDGE OF BELIZE: PRELIMINARY REPORT FROM A CAMERA TRAP SURVEY IN 2010” to the AAAS-SWARM meeting. It was accepted for oral presentation.

Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand, nursing professor, provided three information and recruitment presentations about the Department of Health Professions programs and the College to QUESTT high school students.

Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang presented a workshop entitled, “What is the DNA?” at the Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teacher Association Conference at the NSU Tahlequah campus held on March 3, 2012.

The Pre-professional Health Club (PPHC) assisted with the blood drive at NSU-BA on Feb. 13. Dr. Sue Woods is the sponsor of the PPHC.

Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau co-authored a manuscript titled “Site-specific deletion in the tomato genome by the CinH-RS2 and ParA-MRS recombination systems. The manuscript has been accepted and published as an Original Article in the peer-reviewed SCI journal—Plant Biotechnology Reports, in Feb. 2012.

Dr. Diamantopoulos helped out a local business in the community during the recent Business Expo at the UC on March 2-3. He represented the State Farm NeighBear for Mark Hodson’s StateFarm Insurance.

NSU had six students attend the annual section meeting of the OK-AR MAA (Mathematical Association of America) at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, AR. They participated in the student competitions that are a regular part of the meeting each year, in a Math Jeopardy team competition and an individual Integration Bee. The teams were: #1) Ryan Berkley, Rho Middleton and Joshua Killer#2) Gregory Palma, Miranda Sawyer and Joshua Gregory. Perhaps the most noteworthy part is that one of our teams (#1 above) placed second place in the team jeopardy competition! This was the very first time that one of our student teams finished in the top three spots; and the competition has been held for 4 years.

Thirty-eight NSU graduate and undergraduate students toured the Wal-Mart grocery distribution center near Bartlesville April 4. For two hours, students examined operations in the massive facility and learned how Wal-Mart uses sophisticated information systems and robotics to stock stores ranging from Oklahoma City to Wichita to Springfield, Missouri. It was the first time that invitations to the tour, an annual event in Dr. Michael Landry’s Logistics and Supply Chain Management MBA class, went to undergraduate supply chain management classes. Other support Wal-Mart has made to NSU includes an annual scholarship to Native American supply chain management majors.

Dr. Michael Landry, professor of marketing, and Dr. Ken Jones, instructor in information systems, held a dinner meeting with six graduates or interning seniors from the NSU supply chain management major to discuss their experience at NSU. “We’re working very hard to try to align our curriculum with exactly what employers want in our supply chain graduates,” according to Dr. Landry. “And meetings like this give us insights into how our graduates and interns perceive the value of their NSU education as they are now on the job but still have their academic experience fresh in their minds.”

The Reading Program of Northeastern State University is thrilled to present yet another major international figure in the field of reading/literacy to Oklahoma educators: Dr. Phyllis Hunter. Hunter was appointed by the United States Congress and former President George W. Bush to the board of the National Institute for Literacy, and has served as an advisor on the President’s Educational Transition Team. She currently advises the Obama administration on reading/literacy needs. With over 400 area-teachers expected to attend, this is a wonderful way NSU reaches out to provide quality speakers and professional development to NSU students and local educators.

In March, Dr. Richard Castillo gave a lecture on the future of optometric surgical procedures at the SECO International Meeting in Atlanta, GA. On March second he conducted a workshop on office surgery.

Dr. Lewerenz was one of three recipients to receive the 2011 Fredric Rosemore Low Vision Education Grant through the American Optometric Foundation for the project titled “Preparing Student Interns for the Low Vision Rehabilitation Clinical Experience.” Dr. Lewerenz and NSUOCO will be recognized at the AOF Celebration Luncheon during the American Academy of Optometry’s Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona on October 24, 2012.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document. If you have any questions, contact Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok.edu. The deadline for the April issue is April 15. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Deans and Division & Department Chairs

College of Liberal Arts

• Dr. Mike Chanslor - Interim Dean
• Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford - Communication, Art and Theater
• Dr. Mark Bighley - Music and Humanities
• Dr. Audell Shelburne - Languages and Literature 
• Dr. Bill Corbett - Social Sciences
• Dr. Kathlyn Shahan - Social Work
• Dr. Cari Keller - Criminal Justice and Legal Studies 
• Major Jason Junkens - Military Science

College of Education

• Dr. Deborah Landry - Interim Dean
• Dr. Allyson Watson - Interim Assistant Dean
• Dr. Louis White - Assistant Dean
• Dr. Peggy Lisenbee - Curriculum & Instruction
• Dr. Mark Giese - Health & Kinesiology
• Dr. Renee Cambiano - Educational Foundations & Leadership 
• Dr. Richard Williams - Psychology & Counseling

College of Business & Technology 

• Dr. Roger Collier - Interim Dean
• Dr. Kathy Reese - Interim Associate Dean 
• Dr. John Yeutter - Accounting & Finance Dr. Anne Davey - Business Administration 
• Dr. Michael Turner - IS & Technology

College of Science & Health Professions

• Dr. Martin Venneman - Dean
• Dr. Pam Hathorn - Associate Dean
• Dr. April Adams - Natural Sciences
• Dr. Darryl Linde - Mathematics & Computer Science 
• Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Health Professions

College of Optometry

• Dr. Doug Penisten - Dean
• Dr. Kippi Wyatt - Assistant Dean
• Dr. Michelle Welch - Associate Dean
• Mary Stratton - Assistant Dean of Administration

Muskogee Campus

• Dr. Tim McElroy - Dean

Library

• Ms. Paula Settoon - Interim Executive Dean

Broken Arrow Campus

• Dr. Christee Jenlink - Dean

Letter from the Provost

Dear colleagues,

This is my last opportunity at NSU to wish you well and thank you for the work you are doing to provide a quality learning experience for NSU students. The core of any university is, and must be, learning. To that end, the classroom (regardless of whether that classroom is physical or virtual) and the relationship between the student and a faculty member/mentor is, and must be, the priority for a university. All time, energy, and resources possible must be dedicated to support and develop the learning environment and build the student/ faculty relationship. Everything and everyone outside of that classroom environment is here as support for that priority.

I hope that my time at NSU has contributed to that understanding in visible, constructive ways. If so, I feel that my time here has been successful.

I wish all of you well, and applaud the work you are doing to elevate the learning environment for students who come to NSU to fulfill their hopes and dreams; those who will be our future friends, neighbors, colleagues, and leaders.

Martin Tadlock, Ph.D.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Dr. Jude Abia was an ambassador for NSU during an invited lectureship at the science seminar series at Tulsa Community College-SE campus. Dr. Abia lectured on the topic of Biomass conversion to Biofuel using Ionic Liquid on the night of February 14, 2012.

Dr. April Adams reviewed an online General Physics course for Quality Matters Certification. Dr. Adams reviewed a science education textbook. She participated as a member in the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation Program Accreditation Committee and attended the National Association for Research in Science Teaching International Conference in Indianapolis in March.

Dr. April Adams, Dr. Ratnakar Deole, Dr. Erik Terdal, and Dr. Kevin Wang met with the Jenks Public School Curriculum Director to discuss collaboration between Jenks and the Broken Arrow science faculty.

Dr. Pamela Christol made a presentation with Drs. McDowell and Parrott entitled, “Get Green for Blue: Water Quality Investigations” at the National Science Teachers Association National Conference. She collaborated with a colleague from IUPUC for an NSTA presentation entitled, “Integrating the NSTA Learning Center into Preservice Education”. Dr. Christol has been appointed by the president of the National Science Teachers Association to serve on a national Leadership Task Force.

On March 8, Dr. Cindy Cisar gave a short presentation to the Leadership Tahlequah Class 14. She described her research on antibiotic resistant bacteria and answered questions.

Dr. Diamantopoulos organized a group of six students to attend the 74th annual OK-AR MAA section meeting to participate in the student competitions (team jeopardy and individual integration bee). While both teams competed very well, team #1 advanced to the finals and captured second place! This was the first time in four years that one of NSU’s student teams was in the final three.

Mandy Lambros, an Honors Biology student working with Dr. Cindy Cisar, was selected to represent NSU at Research Day at the Capitol on March 15. Mandy’s poster presentation on “Identification of qnrS Alleles in Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Environmental Bacteria” received third prize

Dr. Edie Long, SLP Associate Professor, wrote “Integrating Dynamic Assessment and Response to Intervention” which was published in the April issue of ASHA LEADER LIVE.

Representing NSU, Diana Mashburn, nursing instructor, and Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand, nursing professor, co-sponsored for a third year with OU-Tulsa Nursing, the Annual Evidence- based Practice Symposium on April 19, 2012 in Tulsa. A total of 13 podium presentations were offered by 25 NSU senior nursing students. Each group also shared a poster presentation. All six nursing faculty served as evaluators. Dr. Van Nostrand gave a welcome from NSU, and Diana Mashburn co-moderated a panel discussing the use of research in EBP.

Dr. Marvita McGuire, director of the Medical Laboratory Science Program, was notified that the MS Program was awarded initial accreditation by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences .

Dr. Mark Paulissen served as a reviewer for the peer-reviewed journals “Biology Letters” and “Zoological Studies” in February 2012.

Dr. Spence Pilcher successfully completed the Quality Matters Applying the Rubric online workshop. He performed a series of science demonstrations for Pre-K students at Kansas Elementary School.

Dr. Amy Smith hosted a job interview workshop for fish and wildlife majors.

Dr. Erik Terdal gave a talk, “Distance learning, distance teaching: online Coral Reef Ecology taught from the Caribbean” at the Heartland Electronic Learning Conference at the University of Central Oklahoma on March 6. Dr. Terdal, with Belizean colleague Roni Martinez, submitted an abstract entitled, “MARGAY AND OCELOT CATS IN THE MOUNTAIN PINE RIDGE OF BELIZE: PRELIMINARY REPORT FROM A CAMERA TRAP SURVEY IN 2010” to the AAAS-SWARM meeting. It was accepted for oral presentation.

Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau and Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang, Department of Natural Sciences, co-authored a manuscript titled The Bxb1 recombination system demonstrates heritable transmission of site-specific excision in Arabidopsis with their collaborators. After review, the paper was accepted and will be published in the peer-reviewed SCI Journal ̃BMC-Biotechnology. The paper describes the use of a novel Site-Specific Recombination system to remove unwanted DNA fragments from the plant genome. Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau and Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang (Department of Natural Sciences) co-authored research article „ Site-specific deletions in the tomato genome by the CinH-RS2 and ParA-MRS recombinase systems‰ has been accepted by the peer-reviewed Journal of Plant Biotechnology Reports, and will be published Online First soon.

The Pre-professional Health Club assisted with the blood drive at NSU-BA on Feb. 13. Dr. Sue Woods is the sponsor of the PPHC.

Dr. Rui Zhang gave a presentation at the American Physical Society Marching meeting in Boston, MA. It is one of the largest physics conferences in the nation, hosting a couple of thousands of physicists. He was awarded the Inbre Faculty Mini-grant, $25,000, to perform his research on HIV assembly.

Dr. Michael Landry joined other members of the Tulsa Chapter of the National Association of Purchasing Managers along with members of the Association for Operations Management for a tour of M&M Manufacturing in Tulsa on April 10. M&M employs about five dozen people, uses advanced computer-based machining techniques, and makes parts for the aerospace, oilfield, and automotive industries. Meanwhile, on the Broken Arrow campus, NSU’s supply chain management program will host the monthly NAPM luncheon on May 15.

Dr. Richard Castillo was invited to present a series of lectures and a workshop on office surgery to students and faculty at the Illinois College of Optometry. This is the fifth consecutive year he has been invited back to conduct this course.

Dr. Stephan Sargent and Mrs. Meagan Eeg Moreland along with Dr. Evan Ortlieb of Texas A&M (Corpus Christi) have prepared a research presentation entitled, “Using a Digital Reading Environment to Enhance a Love of Reading: A Study within a Fourth-Grade Reading Clinic.” The study will be presented at the annual conference of the International Reading Association in Chicago in May 2012.

Dr. Stephan Sargent and Dr. Jeanne Cobb (Coastal Carolina University) have prepared a research article entitled, “Navigating Mandates: Teachers Face Troubled Seas.” The manuscript has been accepted for publication in the reading journal, Language and Literacy.

Dr. Stephan Sargent, Dr. Pamela Christol, and Dr. Martha Parrott will be working with a grant project in Osage County during the last two weeks of July. They will be teaching area educators how best practices in science, mathematics, technology, and literacy/reading education.

Dr. Stephan Sargent spoke to state public school teachers participating in the “Oklahoma Textbook Caravan” (part of the textbook selection process) about learning to read/write in a digital environment.”

Dr. Stephan and Mrs. Meagan Eeg Moreland have a research article that has been accepted for publication in Reading Psychology, a national, peer-reviewed reading/ literacy journal. The manuscript is entitled, “Evaluating the Efficacy of Using a Digital Reading Environment to Improve Reading Comprehension within a Reading Clinic.”

Dr. Mindy Smith and Mrs. Meagan Moreland are providing intensive professional development in reading/literacy to assist an area school.

Name: Dr. Pamela Fly, Dr. Donna Shelton, Dr. Tobi Thompson, Dr. Martha Parrott, Professor Rick Shelton, and Dr. Linda Wilson

Event: DaVinci Spring Forum

Date of Event/Award: April 13, 2012

Event Site: The new Creativity Center at Tulsa Community College’s Metro Campus.

The DaVinci Institute is a unique private partnership of leaders in higher education across the state of Oklahoma. Our goal is to nurture the Arts, Sciences, Humanities and Education in Oklahoma as these fields undergo transformations in the twenty-first century. One of the methods we utilize to achieve this vision is to host small groups of participants from all institutions and disciplines to consider and offer ideas which will substantively address the opportunities and challenges to higher education. Why creativity? Why innovation? As Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind says, it’s imperative“...for anyone who wants to survive and thrive in this emerging world—entrepreneurs and business leaders eager to stay ahead of the next wave, parents who want to equip their children for the future. . .”.

APRIL 2012 GRANT AWARDS

Award Name: American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES - EPSCoR 2012)

Award Dates: January 1, 2012 - April 30, 2012

Award Amount: $5,000

Project Director: Dr. Phyllis Fife

Funding Agency: Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma EPSCoR

Purpose: To assist (1) student with travel expenses to attend the Annual AISES Leadership Summit in Albuquerque, NM. To assist in hosting the 2012 AISES Region IV Conference March 2-3, 2012. The conference will bring together AISES chapters from colleges, universities and high schools across region IV which consists of six states: Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. There will be Professional scholars in the STEM fields and sponsors from various disciplines. The conference will offer students opportunities to form networks with their peers as well as supportive faculty and professionals in the varying STEM fields. Funds will also be used to support the AISES Day at the 40th Annual NSU Symposium on the American Indian in April 2012.

Award Name: Bringing the Hospital Home 2012

Award Dates: March 1, 2012 - October 15, 2012

Award Amount: $500

Project Director: Dr. Melissa Strong

Funding Agency: Oklahoma Humanities Council (OHC)

Purpose: Funds from OHC will support partial travel expenses for a 14-day residency in Boston, MA in March 2012. Dr. Strong was awarded a fellowship from the Boston Athenaeum. The fellowship included a stipend and a year’s membership to the Athenaeum. Dr. Strong will research her theory that the United States Sanitary Commission (USSC) fundraiser and hospital inspector Mary A. Livermore, uses Mary Safford to correlate nursing with the duties of a middle-class wife and mother. Dr. Strong will also research the theory that USSC popularized and spread this view of nurses even as it legitimized nursing as acceptable, paid professional work for educated women.

Award Name: 39th Annual Symposium on the American Indian

Award Dates: March 1, 2012 – April 30, 2012

Award Amount: $5,000

Project Director: Dr. Phyllis Fife

Funding Agency: Oklahoma Humanities Council

Purpose of Award: Funds for support of the 40th Annual Symposium on the American Indian to be held April 9-13, 2012. The support for this program helps benefit the academic community as well as the general public of the State of Oklahoma. This year’s theme will be ““The Journey of Sovereign Nations: Self-determination and Human Rights”. The topic will be a reflection of four decades of change for American Indians. Disciplines to be examined will be the history, education, human experiences, arts, social well- being and politics that impact the tribal governments.

Award Name: Oscillatoria limnetica, Bio-energy Production 2012

Award Dates: May 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012

Award Amount: $10,000

Project Director: Dr. Ratnakar Deole

Funding Agency: Oklahoma EPSCoR-Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research

Purpose of Award: To determine the genome sequence of Oscillatoria limnetica, a blue-green algae. This cyanobacteria provides a unique opportunity for the production of chemicals and materials. Its genome sequence will provide insights not only on its unique aspect of the combination of oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthesis and production of biohydrogen, but it will also help understand the combination of two mechanisms functioning at high salt concentrations.

Award Name: Spectroscopic Analysis-Biofuels 2012

Award Dates: May 1, 2012 – August 31, 2012 Award Amount: $10,000

Project Director: Dr. James Hicks

Funding Agency: Oklahoma EPSCoR-Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research

Purpose of Award: To explore whether infrared absorption coefficients can be used to assess the reactivity of bio-oils compounds in various liquid media. The primary motivation is the prediction of reactivity from spectroscopic information. A side product of the research could be a novel method to assess solvent polarity. A second motivation is the application of spectroscopy for the quantitative analysis of complex reaction mixtures with high time resolution.

Award Name: OSRHE - Quasilattice Structure 2012

Award Dates: April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2013 Award Amount: $25,000

Project Director: Dr. Chris Burba

Funding Agency: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education - OSRHE

Purpose of Award: To discover a routine method for assessing the amount of charge ordering present in ionic liquids. Charge organization is a consequence of long-range ion-ion interactions among the constituent ions, and has implications in the technologically important properties of the ionic liquids.

Award Name: OSRHE - Membrane Elasticity HIV 2012

Award Dates: April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2013

Award Amount: $25,000

Project Director: Dr. Rui Zhang

Funding Agency: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education - OSRHE

Purpose of Award: The long-term objective of this study is to understand the effect of membrane elasticity in the assembly and budding of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which allows progeny viruses to form, to break off the plasma membrane and to target other host cells.

Award Name: OSRHE - Summer Mentor Program 2012

Award Dates: April 1, 2012 – August 31, 2013

Award Amount: $13,200

Project Directors: Dr. Jessica Martin ($2,200), Dr. Joseph Ahlander ($4,400), Dr. Jude Abia ($2,200), Dr. Cindy Cisar ($2,200), Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo ($2,200). Funding Agency: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education - OSRHE

Purpose of Award: To provide summer training/research experiences for students.

Award Name: Impact of Wastewater Treatment Plant

Award Dates: March 1, 2012 – February 28, 2013

Award Amount: $50,000

Project Director: Dr. Cindy Cisar

Funding Agency: U.S. Geological Survey through Oklahoma State University

Purpose of Award: To initiate an analysis of the effects of wastewater treatment plant effluent on nitrogen use by bacteria in Oklahoma streams. In addition to baseline information on nitrogen cycling, new information will be obtained on the effect(s) of antibiotics on stream bacteria.

Award Name: Oklahoma Small Business Development Center 2012

Award Dates: January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012

Award Amount: $175,540

Project Director: Mr. John Blue

Funding Agency: Small Business Administration through Southeastern State University

Purpose of Award: To provide comprehensive services and resources to existing and potential small businesses in the state of Oklahoma.

Gary Cheatham recently had this book review published “Review of Counting Coup and Cutting Horses: Intertribal Warfare on the Northern Plains”, 1738-1889, by Anthony R. McGinnis (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2010), in Military History of the West 41 (2011).

The Circle of Excellence Awards were handed out on April 26. This annual award recognizes outstanding faculty members for research, teaching and service.

Awarded for service, Dr. Stephan Sargent, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education is being honored for service.

Awarded for teaching, Dr. Isaac Diianni, Department of Accounting and Finance, College of Business and Technology

Awarded for research, Dr. Jessica Martin, Department of Natural Sciences - Chemistry, College of Science and Health Professions;

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document. If you have any questions, contact Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok.edu. The deadline for the August issue is August 15. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Deans and Division & Department Chairs

College of Liberal Arts

• Dr. Mike Chanslor - Interim Dean
• Dr. Amy Aldridge Sanford - Communication, Art and Theater
• Dr. Mark Bighley - Music and Humanities
• Dr. Audell Shelburne - Languages and Literature 
• Dr. Bill Corbett - Social Sciences
• Dr. Kathlyn Shahan - Social Work
• Dr. Cari Keller - Criminal Justice and Legal Studies 
• Major Jason Junkens - Military Science

College of Education

• Dr. Deborah Landry - Interim Dean
• Dr. Allyson Watson - Interim Assistant Dean
• Dr. Louis White - Assistant Dean
• Dr. Peggy Lisenbee - Curriculum & Instruction
• Dr. Mark Giese - Health & Kinesiology
• Dr. Renee Cambiano - Educational Foundations & Leadership 
• Dr. Richard Williams - Psychology & Counseling

College of Business & Technology 

• Dr. Roger Collier - Interim Dean
• Dr. Kathy Reese - Interim Associate Dean 
• Dr. John Yeutter - Accounting & Finance Dr. Anne Davey - Business Administration 
• Dr. Michael Turner - IS & Technology

College of Science & Health Professions 

• Dr. Martin Venneman - Dean
• Dr. Pam Hathorn - Associate Dean
• Dr. April Adams - Natural Sciences
• Dr. Darryl Linde - Mathematics & Computer Science 
• Dr. Joyce VanNostrand - Health Professions

College of Optometry

• Dr. Doug Penisten - Dean
• Dr. Kippi Wyatt - Assistant Dean
• Dr. Michelle Welch - Associate Dean
• Mary Stratton - Assistant Dean of Administration

Muskogee Campus 

• Dr. Tim McElroy - Dean

Library

• Ms. Paula Settoon - Interim Executive Dean

Broken Arrow Campus 

• Dr. Christee Jenlink - Dean
  

Welcome!

Welcome to our first Academic Times of the fall semester. We hope you enjoy reviewing the professional and scholarly contributions of our faculty and staff. As we transition to a new Provost/VPAA, I want to say “thank you” for your hard work. It is evident that faculty and staff are engaged in important scholarly and creative endeavors as illustrated in this issue of the Academic Times. I am so proud of all who serve this great university. Best wishes for a very successful fall semester.

Janet Bahr, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. 

Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Dr. Rachel Green and Dr. Jocelyn Lee Payne participated in the 10th Annual American Democracy Project National Meeting in San Antonio and made the third in a series of three presentations from “Citizenship: One Principle, Multiple Perspectives,” a research project initiated in 2010 by Dr. Payne and Dr. Renée Cambiano.

Dr. John Diamantopoulos accompanied three math/science students [Blane Burge, Andrea Molder and Ida Etemad] to the UnKnot Theory Conference held at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. An NSF grant funded the trip.

Ms. Kathryn Schoonover-Redden, Director of Research and Sponsored Programs, co-authored an article that was published in the Summer 2012 issue of the Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly titled “Celebrating Undergraduate Research in Oklahoma: The History and Impact of Statewide Undergraduate Research Conferences”.

Tom Rink, Instructor of Library Services at Broken Arrow, has been appointed to the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Oklahoma Library Association for 2012-13. He is also serving on a short-term membership task force for the Special Libraries Association.

Gary L. Cheatham, assistant professor of library services, has a review of Kit Carson: The Life of an American Border Man, by David Remley (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2011). In Southwestern Historical Quarterly 116 (July 2012) 1:85-86.

Sarah Burkhead-Whittle had the opportunity to meet author Joseph Bruchac during his visit to NSU on June 15 and had a number of his books autographed. On July 28, she had the opportunity of attending a triple-author event in Tulsa where she met Oklahoma author Ally Carter, along with Jennifer Lynn-Barnes and Sarah Rees-Brennan. Select autographed titles by Bruchac, Carter and Barnes are available in the Youth Collection at the John Vaughan Library.

Dr. Mary Swanson is serving as the President of the Oklahoma Higher Education Reading Council for 2012- 13. This organization, an affiliate of the Oklahoma and International Reading Association, represents university reading professors at each university in Oklahoma. Dr. Swanson is presenting at their annual reading conference on September 21st.

Dr. Debbie Landry, Dean of College of Education, Dr. Peggy Lisenbee, Chair of Curriculum and Instruction, and Dr. Christine Hallman, Assistant Professor of Geography, were awarded an Elementary and Education Act Grant through the OK State Regents of Higher Education. The grant is part of the Improving Teacher Quality State Grant program. The grant project entitled “Geocaching is Catching Students’ Attention in the Classroom” Students’ Attention in the Classroom” provides hands-on learning experiences for Nowata teachers. The initial two-day workshop held in mid-July allowed teachers to combine first-hand knowledge of GPS units and geocaching with effective problem solving and discovery learning instructional methods. During this workshop, teachers discussed Oklahoma’s Core Curriculum, reviewed map reading and coordinate systems, and completed two treasure hunts using their GPS units. The highlight of the workshop occurred when teachers designed and tested their own GPS lessons for use in the classrooms this fall. This is a far-reaching opportunity in that the Nowata teachers represent 3rd-8th grades and teach a variety of subjects including Math, Social Studies, Science, Geography, Language Arts, and Music. Incorporating geospatial technologies and hands-on learning techniques into the classroom empowers both teachers and students to investigate their own world in new and exciting ways. NSU faculty will continue to work with teachers in the Nowata Independent School District during the 2012-13 academic year to monitor increases in student learning.

Dr. Linda Wilson volunteered as a guardian and traveled with the Oklahoma Honor Flights to Washington, D. C. on June 6. She accompanied her father, Ray Henshall of Collinsville, who served in the U. S. Navy in the Pacific during World War II on the USS Warren. Among the many veterans attending were several who had been in Normandy on the beaches sixty- seven years ago on June 6. There were also two Pearl Harbor survivors on the trip. One hundred and one World War II veterans traveled with Dr. Wilson on this trip. Senator Jim Inhofe met the group at the World War II Memorial for a photo session. Among the sites the group visited were the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery. The Oklahoma Honor Flights takes Oklahoma veterans to Washington D.C. to visit those memorials dedicated to honor their service and sacrifice. The trips are taken in one day. Flights leave from Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Lawton. If you know a World War II veteran who would be interested in attending, please provide them with an application at oklahomahonorflights.org

Dr. Tobi Thompson and Ms. Ingrid Massey presented “Graphically Speaking: Using Graphic Novels and Learning Styles to Increase Student Motivation” at the International Learning Styles Conference in New York in July. In addition, the two reading professors presented a staff development session, “Writing Across the Curriculum” to the teachers of Rocky Mountain Public Schools in May and August.

Dr. Stephan Sargent attended the Read Naturally Conference in San Antonio, Texas during the summer.

Dr. Stephan Sargent is serving as the President of the Tulsa Chapter of PDK (Phi Delta Kappa).

Dr. Mary Swanson, Associate Professor of Curriculum and Instruction in Reading, was awarded the Dewberry Outstanding Faculty Award in August 2012 for the College of Education.

Dr. Sophia Sweeney:

• served as a proposal reviewer for the Association for Science Teacher Education 2013 International Conference.
• is serving as an internal evaluator for the project NSU Chemistry and Physics Academy. Grant proposal submitted by Dr. April Adams (Project Director), Dr. Tiffany Maher and Dr. Jim Hicks (Science Content Experts) to the Improving Teacher Quality State Grant Program, Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
• completed the process to become a certified Quality Matters Peer Reviewer
• served as reviewer for NSU's internal informal Quality Matters

Student Volunteers Optometric Services to Humanity (SVOSH) returned from a successful optometric mission trip to Roatan, Honduras on August 4th. The team of 17 optometry students and 3 doctors, including faculty members Dr. Ryan Fenska and Dr. Bryan Young, saw over 900 patients in their 4 days of clinic. Many patients received glasses, medications, and medical treatment that they otherwise could not afford. SVOSH is a student-led group under the assistance of faculty adviser Dr. Alissa Proctor.

MAY-AUGUST GRANT AWARDS

Award Name: Sure Step 2012-2013

Award Dates: 06/01/2012-05/31/2013

Award Amount: $62,750 + $2,000 Teacher Sub award = $64,750

Funding Agency: National Science Foundation through the University of Central Oklahoma

Project Director: Dr. Kathi McDowell

Purpose of Award: To increase the number of students pursuing and receiving associates or baccalaureate degrees in established or emerging fields within science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The program will initiate proven strategies to encourage a connection among the students, the disciplines, and the faculty and promote critical thinking within the disciplines.

Award Name: Great Expectations 2012-2013

Award Dates:  May 1, 2012 - April 30, 2013

Award Amount: $1,797,468

Project Director: Dr. Linda Dzialo

Funding Agency: Other Sources-Private Foundation

Purpose of Award: To teach innovative and inspirational education techniques to school - teachers in order to help revolutionize the classroom educational experience of children.

17 Optometry students and three academic advisers provided services to those in need in Honduras this summer. The team saw over 900 patients.

Award Name: Drosophila Gene 2012

Award Dates: 04/01/2012 - 03/31/2013

Award Amount: $30,499

Project Director: Dr. Joseph Ahlander

Funding Agency: OUHSC through National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Purpose of Award: Using a combination of cellular and genetic approaches, it will characterize the function of CG7053 during Drosophila development with the goal of understanding the mechanism by which it affects autophagy and cell proliferation. These data will yield novel insights into the mechanism by which CG7053 influences autophagy. The long-term goal of this research is to develop a mechanistic understanding of autophagy and its role in human disease.

During July, Dr. Thomas Salmon, college of optometry, traveled to Japan to attend three research meetings, which were held in the cities of Yokohama, Nagoya and Sapporo. He was an invited speaker at two of the meetings and had additional private meetings with researchers. He also took a week off to assist with volunteer tsunami recovery work in northeastern Japan, and then traveled to visit about 30 NSU graduates in their hometowns all over the country. From Japan, Dr. Salmon traveled to Korea where he spent several days meeting with researchers, an NSU graduate and a current NSU student who was back home for the summer. Dr. Salmon writes a monthly newsletter for contact lens doctors in Japan, and is in the 6th year of a collaborative research grant from CooperVision-Japan.

Award Name: Mcm 10 - Genome Stability 2012

Award Dates: 04/01/2012 - 03/31/2013

Award Amount: $29,631

Project Director: Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo Funding Agency: OUHSC through National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Purpose of Award: To gain a better understanding of the molecular events that cause genomic alterations which contribute to tumorigenesis. To evaluate Mcm 10's potential as a target for anti-cancer treatment.

Award Name: Oklahoma INBRE-Junior Investigator Iron Binding 2012

Award Dates: 04/01/2012 - 03/31/2013

Award Amount: $117,467

Project Director: Dr. Jessica Martin

Purpose of Award: The project will provide examples of marine siderophore structures by screening open-ocean fungal strains for the iron-binding compounds under conditions of iron limitations. It will isolate the iron- binding from the open-ocean fungal strains then determine the structure(s) of siderophore(s) produced by open-ocean fungi using amino acid analysis, NMR and mass spectrometry.

Award Name: Oklahoma INBRE-Junior Investigator Ischemic Stroke 2012

Award Dates: 04/01/2012 - 03/31/2013 Award Amount: $129,841

Project Director: Dr. Kevin Wang

Funding Agency: OUHSC through National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Purpose of Award: Funding for research to produce a novel blood clot-dissolving enzyme against acute Ischemic Stroke by way of expressing the fibrinolytic enzyme (DSPAs) from the salivary gland of blood-feeding vampire bats in transgenic tobacco plants for the large-scale production of active and safe clot-dissolving proteins.

Award Name: Synthesizing for Cancer Chemo 2012

Award Dates: 05/31/12 - 07/31/12

Award Amount: $12,222

Project Director: Dr. Dragos Albinescu

Purpose of Award: The goal of the proposed research is to synthesize three important synthetic intermediates that are required for the preparation of 1-α-hydroxyvitamin D5 side- change. Ultimately this will allow synthesis of a novel cancer chemopreventive agent. Some of the experiments will require reaction setups that are not available at Northeastern State University (NSU). NSU will collaborate with the University of Tulsa to carry out the proposed synthesis.

Award Name: Stream Bioassessment 2012- 2013

Award Dates: July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013

Award Amount: $51,100

Project Director: Dr. Amy Smith

Funding Agency: Oklahoma Conservation Commission

Purpose of Award: To provide necessary personnel to complete the work of picking biological samples (fish & macroinvertebrate), properly preserving biological samples and delivering the picked samples to representatives of the commission.

Award Name: Galaxy of Stars

Award Dates: July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013

Award Amount: $15,252

Project Director: Ms. Amber Cowan Funding Agency: Oklahoma Arts Council

Purpose of Award: The Galaxy of Stars Series will present a variety of performances in addition to the educational outreach events related to each performance.

Award Name: NSU Chamber Music Series

Award Dates: July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013

Award Amount: $1,500

Project Director: Dr. Norman Wika Funding Agency: Oklahoma Arts Council Purpose of Award: The NSU Chamber Music Series will bring professional musicians to the Tahlequah area to provide both chamber music and solo performances. These artists will also provide master classes to area music students.

Award Name: Alternative Dispute Resolution 2012-2013 (Yr. 19)

Award Dates: July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013

Award Amount: $80,051

Project Director: Ann Wilkins Funding Agency: State of Okla. Supreme Court

Purpose of Award: To provide mediation services according to the Dispute Resolution Act and other directives and forms provided by the Administration Director of the Courts. Dispute mediation services shall be provided to northeast Oklahoma as determined by need.

Award Name: Green Country Jazz Series

Award Dates: July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013

Award Amount: $2,000

Project Director: Dr. Tommy Poole

Purpose of Award: To cultivate the growth and development of jazz performances and education for students, music educators, and audiences throughout the region.

Award Name: Tulsa Area Bioscience Research & Education Consortium (TABERC) Summer Internship Program 2012

Award Dates: 05/01/2012- 08/30/2012

Award Amount: $1,500

Project Director: Dr. Sapna Das- Bradoo

Funding Agency: TABERC

Purpose of Award: To provide funding for support of one undergraduate internship for summer 2012. The student participant will be chosen by TABERC Foundation and will participate in an eight-week internship program for the months of June and July 2012. Students will be required to spend 137 hours in the host lab with an additional 16 hours of coursework at the Tulsa Community College facility. Students will also be required to give a 20-minute oral presentation of their summer research project in August 2012 to the TABERC Foundation. The student will receive a stipend and the host facility/faculty will receive $500 for supplies.

Award Name: Center for Tribal Studies Major Grant

Award Dates: July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013

Award Amount: $3,500

Project Director: Dr. Phyllis Fife Funding Agency: Oklahoma Arts Council

Purpose of Award: Arts of Indigenous Cultures will consist of two events. The first event in November 2012 will be by Mahenwahdose, a Native American theatre group. The second event is day two of the NSU Powwow, held during the Symposium on the American Indian in April 2013.

Award Name: Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence 2012-2013

Award Dates: July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013

Award Amount: $111,909

Project Director: Mr. Curtis Evans

Purpose of Award: A Manufacturing Extension Agent working out of the NSU- BA campus will assist local manufacturers in various ways to make their businesses more successful

Award Name: Educational Talent Search-Tahlequah Campus 2012-2013, Year 2/5

Award Dates: September 1, 2012 - August 31, 2013

Award Amount: $230,000

Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education

Award Name: Educational Talent Search-Broken Arrow Campus, Year 2/5

Award Dates: September 1, 2012 - August 31, 2013

Award Amount: $230,000

Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education

Project Director: Diane Walker

Purpose of Award(s): To identify disadvantaged youths with potential for post secondary education, encourage them to complete secondary school and undertake post secondary educational training; to publicize existing forms of student aid. To provide tutorial services for youths being encouraged to undertake or re-enter programs of post secondary education. This program is part of TRIO.

Award Name: Alliance for Minority Participation 2012-2013

Award Dates: September 1, 2012 - August 31, 2013

Award Amount: $36,127

Project Director: Dr. Jody Buckholtz Funding Agency: National Science Foundation through Okla. State University

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document. If you have any questions, email Monica Barnett at barnettm@nsuok.edu. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Academic Affairs Welcomes Dr. William Rugg

The Academic Affairs office joins NSU’s students, staff, and faculty in welcoming Dr. William Rugg, NSU’s new Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Rugg jumped immediately into NSU’s routines beginning September 18, his first day on campus with Community and Collaboration Day, and he hasn’t slowed down since. In just two weeks’ time, he has attended OSRHE meetings, participated in Cabinet, met with student government and organizations, chaired councils, participated in Homecoming events and taken a substantive role in President Turner’s investiture.

Dr. Rugg listens intently and notes that one of his most important roles is as a member of the faculty. He is quick to share that his door is always open to meet with faculty, staff, and students, although having an appointment helps Susan Marrs manage his schedule. He makes an effort to be available on NSU’s three campuses, and Broken Arrow and Muskogee faculty can check with their campus dean or Susan for the branch campus schedule. We are so pleased to have Dr. Rugg join NSU, and know that his leadership will build upon our tradition of service and excellence.

New Athletics Conference for NSU

As we start our first year in the MIAA (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) conference, I wanted to update you on the academic success of our student athletes. For spring 2012, there were 253 student athletes with an average GPA of 3.09. Over half (55%), or 140 students, earned a 3.0 or better in at least 12 hours of coursework. Twenty-two students made the President's Honor Roll with a perfect 4.0 GPA and forty-eight made the Dean's Honor Roll with a GPA between 3.5 and 3.99. Forty of the students either graduated in Spring 2012 or Summer 2012 or are on track to graduate in Fall 2012. Congratulations are in order to our student athletes for their success in the classroom and on the playing field.

Janet Bahr

Liberal Arts News

Associate professor of Art, Lance Hunter had a painting entitled "Emersion" selected for the 2012 National Watercolor Society’s Member Exhibition held at the NWS Gallery in San Pedro, California in May. NWS is one of the top two watercolor societies in the nation and the juried exhibition featured the work of 92 artists from across the United States. Hunter is a signature member of NWS and the only artist selected for the exhibit from the state of Oklahoma. "Danielle" a watercolor by Hunter was selected for the Louisiana Watercolor Society’s 42nd Annual International Exhibition held in May in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Hunter’s painting "Beneath the Surface" received a major award in the 63rd Annual Exhibition of the Texas Watercolor Society. The exhibit was held during the month of June at the San Antonio Art League Museum. The juror for TWS was Steve Doherty, the former editor-in-chief of American Artist magazine for 31 years.

Hunter's painting entitled "Carmen" was selected for the postcard invitation promoting Watercolor NOW 2012! Exhibition that opened in May at the Springfield Art Museum in Missouri. His work was included in this exclusive group exhibition which is held every four years at the museum. Participants are limited to former award winners of Watercolor USA. Later in the summer, Hunter's watercolor "Decaying Orbit" was selected by Miranda Lash, Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the New Orleans Museum of Art for the Watercolor USA 2012 National Exhibition. Most of the national and international exhibitions listed above publish a full color exhibition catalog and an exhibition webpage.

Locally, Hunter exhibited in NUDE 8 in Tulsa with four NSU Art students and Art Instructor Sylvia Nitti. Students Abbey Haughey, Ashlyn Metcalf, Erin Ow- en and Andrew Morgan had watercolors, an oil painting and a sculpture juried into the exhibit. Hunter’s oil entitled "Without Reason" received one of the three awards presented at the popular downtown event.

A photo of "Looking Back", a mural painted by Hunter in 1996 was featured in the February 2012 issue of Texas Highways magazine. The image appeared on the table of contents and in an article that discussed the mural and another large- scale mural Lance painted in Lufkin, Texas. Hunter's mural work was also published in the June issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine in an article written by that publication's editor. The article focuses on the history and influences of Angelina in Texas and includes images of two murals and quotes from Hunter.

During the summer, Hunter painted a large mural for Gaddy Drug near downtown in Muskogee. Hunter was assisted by two NSU art students and NSU art instructor Sylvia Nitti in the early stages of the mural. Hunter and the Gaddy Mural were featured on the front page of the Muskogee Phoenix newspaper and in an article in the Tulsa World in July.

Library

Brenda Bradford University Archives Assistant at the John Vaughan Library placed second this month in the Cherokee Holiday Arts Competition in photography. Brenda also placed first in the Creek Nation competition in photography.

September Grant Awards

Award Name: Student Support Services
Award Dates: September 1, 2012 - August 31, 2013 Award Amount: $ 288,684
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education
Project Director: Ms. Connie Wright
Purpose of Award: To provide services to students who meet the federal eligibility criteria and demonstrate academic need in order to successfully complete a program of study at NSU. To provide a comprehensive system of support services such as counseling, tutoring and academic enrichment activities so that participants will be retained and graduate at rates equal to or above their cohorts at NSU. This project focuses to serve students who meet the qualifying criteria, regardless of race, color, national origin, disability or gender.

Award Name: Preventing Risky Behaviors Among Minority College Students 20121-2013
Award Dates: September 1, 2012 - August 31, 2013 Award Amount: $29,967 Funding Agency: DHHS through the National Indian Women's Health ReSource Center
Project Director: Libby Rogers
Purpose: To facilitate collaborative activities between NSU and the National Indian Women's Health Resource Center (NIWHRC) to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS risk factors and positively alter the future course of HIV/AIDS among young adult Native American populations.

Award Name: Health & Wellness Initiative for Women Attending Minority Institutions 2012- 2013
Award Dates: September 1, 2012 - August 31, 2013
Award Amount: $20,000
Funding Agency: DHHS through the National Indian Women's Health Resource Center
Project Director: Libby Rogers
Purpose: To address the health of young, minority women through three major components:

1. Overall women's health and wellness promotion,
2. HIV/ AIDS Education and Prevention,
3. Ending violence against women.

Award Name: Student Academic Success Center 2012-2013, Year 2/5
Award Dates: October 1, 2012 - September 30, 2013
Award Amount: $312,394
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education Project Director: Dr. Jerrid Freeman
Purpose of Award(s): Funding to provide for the formation, staffing and facilitation of a centralized Student Academic Success Center (SASC). The Center will provide for initial and continuing multimodal contact with NSU's high risk and minority students in order to increase retention and graduation rates.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document by the 15th of the month for the next month’s issue. If you have any questions, email Susan Marrs at perrysu@nsuok.edu. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Science & Health Professions News

Dr. Jude Abia reviewed a manuscript for the Journal of Chromatography A in August 2012.

Dr. April Adams, Member of the Program Accreditation Committee of the Oklahoma Commission on Teacher Preparation, attended the National Science Educational Leadership and National Science Teacher Association joint meeting in San Antonio as the committee’s representative and attended meetings of the committee.

Dr. April Adams attended the Vision 2020 Conference in Oklahoma City.

Dr. April Adams reviewed Secondary Science Education Programs for the National Science Teacher Association/ NCATE.

Dr. April Adams submitted a proposal and reviewed proposals for the Association of Science Teacher Education International Conference to be held in Charleston, South Carolina.

Dr. April Adams had a proposal accepted for the Association of Science Teacher Education International Conference to be held in Charleston, South Carolina.

Dr. April Adams reviewed an online course for Quality Matters.

Dr. April Adams, Dr. Tiffany Maher, Dr. James Hicks, and Dr. Sophia Sweeney submitted an Improving Teacher Quality Grant proposal to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education ($120,000 during a two year period).

Dr. April Adams, Dr. Tiffany Maher, Dr. James Hicks, and Dr. Sophia Sweeney were awarded an Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Improving Teacher Quality Grant entitled, NSU Chemistry and Physics Academy. ($60,000 for each of two years).

Dr. Albinescu completed a “Synthesizing for Cancer Chemo” ROA-INBRE-project, funded by OUHSC and the National Institutes of Health grant ($12,222), involving the synthesis of three important intermediates that are required for the preparation of 1-α- hydroxyvitamin D5 side chain. Ultimately, this will allow the synthesis of a novel cancer chemopreventive agent. The project was executed in collaboration with Dr. Syed Hussaini, at the University of Tulsa. Dr. Albinescu also completed the NSU-CTL “Online Blackboard Learn 9.1 Self Paced Training” course.

An article describing research conducted by Drs. Cindy Cisar and Jonathan Fisher was published in the Oklahoma Water Resources Research Institute newsletter, The AQUAhoman (Issue VIII, April 2012). The research project is funded by the OWRRI. Drs. Cisar and Fisher are examining the effects of wastewater treatment plant effluent on bacteria involved in nitrogen cycling in streams.

Dr. Cindy Cisar presented a poster at the annual American Society of Microbiology conference in San Francisco in June. The title of the poster was "qnrS Alleles in Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Gram Negative Bacteria from Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent and Receiving Stream Sediments" Dr. Cindy Cisar and NSU student, Allison Oberg, spent a week in July with Dr. Joy Van Nostrand at the Institute for Environmental Genomics, University of Oklahoma learning how to perform microarray experiments. They are examining expression of bacterial genes in sediments upstream and downstream of a wastewater treatment plant. NSU student Allison Oberg performed research with Dr. Cindy Cisar for 8 weeks this summer and presented a poster on her research at OUHSC in July. The title of her poster was "Microarray-Based Analysis of Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Sedimentary Bacteria".

Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo was an invited speaker at the regional AAAS-SWARM meeting at University of Oklahoma, OK. The title of the talk was “DNA replication and S phase checkpoint in budding yeast”. One of Dr. Das-Bradoo’s students, Ian Schalo was awarded the second prize at this meeting.

Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo attended and presented a research poster at the FASEB meeting on “Yeast Chromosome Structure, Replication & Segregation” at Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Dr. John de Banzie taught himself how to use iBook Author and created an interactive iBook supplement for use in his Genetics Laboratory class.

Dr. John de Banzie attended an FPLC Facilitator Training workshop and qualified as an FPLC facilitator.

Dr. John Diamantopoulos was invited by Excelsior College in New York on September 6-7, to be one of eight faculty from around the country to take part in a standards setting process. The faculty rigorously defined what was meant by various levels of "success" for a student in the content area and helped determine "cut scores" for credit by examination in lieu of taking the online course.

Dr. Jonathan Fisher and others published "Macrophyte mediated predation on hydrilla- dwelling macroinvertebrates" in Fundamental and Applied Limnology, Volume 17.

Mrs. Deborah Hyde has earned national certification as a Sustainable Initiatives Professional through the National Registry of Environmental Professionals organization. 

Mrs. Deborah Hyde participated in two Streambank Stabilization Design Workshops conducted by OSU in June and July. 

Mrs. Deborah Hyde taught a week-long Life Science course at Camp Cherokee sponsored by the Cherokee Nation in July, 2012. 

Dr. Kathi McDowell is the NSU campus coordinator for the Oklahoma Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program (STEP) sponsored by the National Science Foundation. This five year program is in its third year and has a yearly budget of $62,750. This program is designed for recruitment and retention of students in these science-related areas. There were 14 entering freshmen accepted into the program in July 2012. The program also allows for one local high school teacher to participate. This year the teacher selected was a physics teacher from Coweta High School. Dr. McDowell presented lectures, invited speakers and organized morning activities to help the students acclimate to campus life. The invited speakers (faculty) included Dr. April Adams, Dr. Pam Christol, Dr. Sapna Das Bradoo, Ms Deborah Hyde, Dr. Darryl Linde, Dr. Jessica Martin, Dr. Marvita McGuire, and Dr. Kevin Wang. The students also explored potential career options and learned about library resources. The students spent their afternoons doing research with their faculty mentors; Dr. Joseph Ahlander and Dr. Spence Pilcher. Dr. Ahlander’s group investigated the molecular biology of cancer genes using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. Dr. Pilcher’s group investigated the most efficient synthesis of biodiesel from waste vegetable oil. The students will have the opportunity to continue doing research during the fall semester in their areas of interest.

Dr. Kathi McDowell attended a meeting to discuss “Summer Academies: Overview and Background for Request for Proposals” on August 9, 2012. The meeting was ITV’d from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

The Oklahoma Geometry and Algebra Project [OGAP] is a recently awarded grant that will make possible a summer institute for middle school and high school teachers on the NSU-BA campus. The two-year grant provides for a summer institute not only in the Tulsa area but also in Oklahoma City. Dr. Martha Parrott is the on-site administrator for this institute tentatively scheduled for July 2013 and July 2014.

Dr. Martha Parrott has been elected to the DaVinci Institute Executive Board, an organization recognized as Oklahoma's creative think tank and whose mission is to promote a statewide creative renaissance through lectures, workshops, professional development, research, and advocacy.

Dr. Mark Paulissen participated in a study of the American Burying Beetle (an endangered species) at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma. 

Dr. Mark Paulissen served as a reviewer for the journal Herpetological Review.

Dr. Mia Revels attended the Oklahoma Ornithological Society Spring Meeting May 12, which was held at Camp Egan. At the Executive Council Meeting at the Oklahoma serve as President Elect of the society, a position which lasts two years, and then leads to the Presidency.

The Spring Meeting of the Oklahoma Academy of Science was held at Sequoyah State Park, and was organized and coordinated by Dr. Mia Revels. There were evening speakers on natural history of Oklahoma Butterflies on Friday night and on Indian Hornbills Saturday night. All day Saturday there were field trips of all sorts: Geology, Birds, Mammal trapping, Insects, Wildflowers, Herpetology, and even stargazing at night to name a few. Many of NSU’s professors volunteered to lead field trips including: Dr. Craig Clifford (who is the current President of OAS), Dr. Jonathan Fisher, Dr. Mark Paulissen, and Dr. Amy Smith, and John Simms and Faye Simms (both retired from NSU).

The Red Slough Birding Convention is held every year during the peak of spring bird migration through southeastern Oklahoma, and every year Dr. Mia Revels is asked to lead field trips to the Little River National Wildlife Refuge to identify the local birds and to locate, capture and band a Swainson’s Warbler, which she has been studying there for over 12 years. This year she was honored at the closing banquet and received a gift of a bird song alarm clock!

Dr. Mia Revels presented her research on Swainson’s Warblers to the members of the Joplin Audubon Society on April 12 at the Wildcat Glades Conservation Center in Joplin, Missouri.

Dr. Mia Revels organized and supervised the annual Nickel Preserve Spring Bird Count on May 24.

Dr. Mia Revels traveled to Belize in May for a week to study tropical birds and other wildlife with two renowned ornithologists who have been studying birds there for many decades, Dr. Ragupathy Kannan and Dr. Douglas James. The trip was part of a continuing education class offered by the University of Arkansas and included visiting many different habitats including rainforest, savanna, mangrove forests, and a trip to Caye Caulker Island to see seabirds as well.

Dr. Erik Terdal submitted a report on conservation efforts on behalf of Scarlet Macaws in Belize to the Rainforest Restoration Foundation. The report is on the RRF website.

Dr. Erik Terdal and colleague Roni Martinez had their paper on Mesocarnivore mammals in Belize accepted for the 75th annual meeting of The Wildlife Society in Portland, Oregon, for October.

Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang served as a co-chair with Dr. Kathi McDowell in the Special Topic Symposium: Biotechnology session on Tuesday, April 3, in the AAAS-SWARM conference. Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau served as a judge in the College Poster competition session in the conference.

Erica Alonzo, a Molecular Biology major student, presented a poster titled “The application of site-specific recombination systems to produce ‘greener’ transgenic plants.” in the AAAS-SWARM conference. Her research is under the mentors of Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau and Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang. The poster won third place in the ‘Biology and Chemistry’ category in the General College Poster competition session.

Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau presented a talk in the Special Topic Symposium: Biotechnology session in the AAAS-SWARM conference. The title of the presentation was ‘Application of Gene Stacking through Site- Specific Recombination System in Plants.’ 

Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau also presented a poster titled ‘Introduction of Vampire Bat Plasminogen Activators DSPA1 and DSPA2) into Transgenic Plant for Stroke Treatment.’ with Frank Miller, a Molecular Biology major student, and Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang in the AAAS-SWARM conference.

Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang, Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau and student Erica Alonzo attended the NIGMS Fourth Biennial National IDeA Symposium of Biomedical Research Excellence (NISBRE), held at Washington, DC, June 25-27, 2012. They presented a poster titled ‘Production of vampire bat enzyme in transgenic plants for stroke treatment’.

Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang and Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau attended the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) annual meeting, held at Austin, Texas, July 20-24, 2012. They presented two posters: (1) ‘Production of vampire bat enzyme in transgenic plants for stroke treatment’, (2) Genetically- programmed Bxb1-mediated gene deletion in tobacco.

Dr. Sue Woods and Dr. Marvita McGuire were trained to use the flow cytometer on June 19 and June 20th.

Dr. Sue Woods scheduled and supervised 7 Pre-Professional interviews during June and July.

Dr. Weijia Zhu reorganized the physics-I lab storage room during the summer.

College of Business and Technology News

Dr. Michael Landry, professor of marketing and coordinator of the supply chain management program in the College of Business and Technology, presented a paper “The Lurking First Amendment Time Bomb of Kasky v. Nike: Are You Defending Your Business or Are You Advertising?” to the Atlantic Marketing Association’s annual conference in Williamsburg, Virginia in September. In addition, The Semaphore of the Grand Trunk Western Historical Society recently published Dr. Landry’s article “Encore for the Iron Horse: Grand Trunk Western Steam Excursions in the 1960s.”

Dr. Landry has been functioning as a subject specialist in marketing for seventeen small business CEOs participating in the Small Business Administration’s Streetwise Steps to Small Business Growth on the Bro- ken Arrow campus. He made presentations on general marketing principles and on developing a sales force and also engaged in judging student marketing presentations.

Dr. Landry has been involved in the Action in Muskogee planning sessions, community-based meetings developing a vision for Muskogee, and has been representing NSU at meetings of the Greater Muskogee Manufacturers’ Alliance and the Tulsa Chapter of the National Association of Purchasing Agents. He also attended a webinar in August presented by Citrix entitled “Using SOcial Media to ‘Create Fame’ for your Business.” In addition, Dr. Landry represented NSU’s marketing program for the state Course Equivalency Project Discipline Committees September 20 at the University of Central Oklahoma. He also has been doing pro bono communications consulting for various political candidates in Arkansas.

College of Education News

World War II Symposium

Northeastern State University hosted a World War II Symposium this fall at the Broken Arrow campus. The symposium featured presenters sharing first- hand accounts of their experiences during World War II.

The first evening of the Symposium focused on Pearl Harbor. Ed Vezey, the last survivor of the U.S.S. Oklahoma, who still lives in the state, shared his story aboard that ship. Arles Cole shared his story of surviving the attack on West Virginia.

The second evening focused on the battles in Europe. Speakers ranged from a glider pilot in Operation Market Garden to infantry soldiers in the Battle of the Bulge.

The third session examined the battles in the Pacific. Attendees heard a broadcast from Tokyo Rose and viewed videos of kamikaze planes. First-hand accounts of the battles of Okinawa and Iwo Jima were shared.

The riveters were featured in the fourth session. Women who built the airplanes at Spar- tan and Douglas in Tulsa shared their stories. Mr. Kim Jones from the Tulsa Air and Space Museum told the story of the Tulsamerican.

The POW’s were honored in the fifth session. Men who served in German campus shared their stories. Someone who lived across the street from the German POW camp outside of Bixby, Ok, shared her childhood story.

The final evening focused on the D Day invasion, VE Day and VJ Day. Soldiers who were on the beaches at Normandy sixty-seven years ago gave first-hand accounts of that invasion. Operation Downfall, the planned land invasion of Japan, was also discussed.

Japanese Educators visit NSU

Three Japanese educators visited the Broken Arrow campus of Northeastern State University. College of Education Dean Debbie Landry greeted the guests. They toured the Reading Lab under the direction of Dr. Stephan Sargent. Dr. Melissa Mahan and Nadia Hall visited with the guests about student services and enrollment management. Dr. Linda Wilson showed various learning styles manipulatives in the Oklahoma Institute for Learning Styles.

Northeastern State University graduate students who are part of the Institute of Museum and Library Services grant assisted the Broken Arrow Public Schools Indian Education department with their summer Culture Camps. According to Professor Barbara Ray, they provided reader's theater scripts for Indian legends and worked with students as they shared traditional Indian legends. They assisted students in researching tribal information by finding Internet sites on their laptops. Craft activities involved assisting with creating treasure boxes with artifacts such as dream catchers, medicine bags and beaded necklaces. Volunteers were pleased to find that many students took great pride in working on projects that reflected their Native American heritage.

Dr. Barbara Ray coordinated a group of middle school students on the Oliver Middle School campus at the pond. Nature activities involved learning about the topography of the area, the water cycle, and collecting water and mud samples. They graphed water samples in small groups. Candidates were able to take several ideas back to their classrooms. Outdoor classrooms are a great way to engage students with authentic learning activities involving math and science. It was a wonderful learning experience for all and served to connect the library media students with students who are part of the Broken Arrow Schools’ Indian Education.

Meagan Moreland is reaching out to Springdale Elementary School (Tulsa Public) and Caney Valley School District to provide clinical reading services to students at the NSU-BA Reading Clinic.

On Friday, September 7th, Mrs. Ingrid Massey and Dr. Tobi Thompson coordinated a review for the Oklahoma Subject Area Test (OSAT) for approximately fifty teacher candidates. Assisting them were Dr. Stephan Sargent, Dr. Mindy Smith, Mrs. Meagan Moreland, and Dr. Mary Swanson.

Dr. Stephan Sargent was part of a North Central Accreditation visit in North Carolina in early October.

Dr. Stephan Sargent, Dr. Mindy Smith, Dr. Mary Swanson, and Mrs. Meagan Moreland are all attending and presenting findings of research at the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers in Grand Rapids Michigan in early November. In honor of Fire Prevention Month, Dr. Stephan Sargent and Mrs. Meagan Moreland had Broken Arrow’s Fire Chief, Jeff VanDolah, visit the NSU-BA Reading Clinic. He read stories to the students and also shared ideas for fire prevention.

During late October, Dr. Stephan Sargent and Mrs. Meagan Moreland had the Dalmatian Organization of Tulsa (DOT) bring Dalmatians to NSU-BA Reading Clinic. The children in the Reading Clinic read books they had been practicing to the Dalmatians.

Dr. Barbara Ray accompanied 13 of the library media candidates in the Institute of Museum and Libraries Services grant to the AASL Fall Forum in Greenville, South Carolina, October 12-13. The event was an excellent opportunity for professional development, networking, and getting to know those in the cohort. Having nationally known speakers such as Henry Jenkins speaking on technology and how to reach our students gave us ideas for using technology in new ways. Hearing Kristin Fontichiaro speak about how she engages students with technology and seeing examples created by students were inspiring. The theme “Transliteracy and the School Library Program” stressed the importance of media literacy and meeting our students where they are. A participatory culture engages all parties as it values the ideas of everyone. Information is passed along as social connections are made. Jenkins’ model of the 4 C’s encourages us to Create, Collaborate, Circulate, and Connect. Isn’t that our goal as we teach?

Northeastern State University graduate students who are part of the Institute of Museum and Library Services grant, "Training 21st Century Library Media Specialists to Serve in Racially Diverse and Economically Disadvantaged Communities: Information and Management (Project I'M READY), assisted the Broken Arrow Public Schools Indian Education department with their summer Culture Camps. They provided included reader's theater scripts for Indian legends and worked with students as they shared the Indian legends. They assisted students in researching tribal information by finding Internet sites on their laptops. Craft activities involved assisting in creating treasure boxes with artifacts such as dream catchers, medicine bags and beaded necklaces. Volunteers were pleased to find that many students took great pride in working on projects that reflected their Native American heritage.

The middle school students met outdoors on the Oliver Middle School campus at the pond. Nature activities involved learning about the topography of the area, the water cycle, and collecting water and mud samples. They graphed water samples in small groups. Candidates were able to take several ideas back to their classrooms. Outdoor classrooms are a great way to engage students with authentic learning activities involving math and science. It was a wonderful learning experience for all and served to connect the library media students with students who are part of the Broken Arrow Schools’ Indian Education.

Thirteen NSU Health and Physical Education students, with faculty sponsors Dr. Vanessa Anton, Ms. Dee Gerlach and Dr. Kathy Hixon, presented four sessions at the Oklahoma Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance's annual state convention held at UCO on October 15-16, 2012. HPE students Daniel Landaverde (Team Leader), Ryan Dvorak, Dallas McCutcheon, Cristy Nitz, John Petree, and Alan Stroup taught Native American Stickball during two presentation sessions, and Kassie Kerns (Team Leader), Danny Campbell, Chad Davidson, Preston King, Tyler Lannen, and Chance Bates taught Golf during two sessions to university students, PE teachers, university faculty and other professionals from across the state.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document by the 15th of the month for the next month’s issue. If you have any questions, please email Susan Marrs at perrysu@nsuok.edu. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Liberal Arts News

Amy Aldridge Sanford, associate professor of communication, was awarded the Josh Lee Service Award at the Oklahoma Speech Theater Communication Association 85th annual convention in Oklahoma City on September 8, 2012. A committee of peers within the state decides this award. Dr. Justin Walton from Cameron University said, “She has devoted countless hours to our profession through her leadership and guidance at both the state and regional level”. Amy has been past president of the Oklahoma Speech Theater Association and is currently member of the executive council of the Central States Communication Association.

The Speech and Debate Team, under the direction of communication instructor Kristopher Copeland, is off to a successful start this season, winning seven individual awards in its first tournament and eight in its second. The team won the 3rd place Individual Events Sweepstakes overall award in its first tournament. Individual award winners are Steven Tyler English, Kendrea James, Molly Turner, and Anthony Woodall.

Jason Dovel, assistant professor of music, has been appointed Employment Editor for the International Trumpet Guild. He was a guest artist at the Midwest Trumpet Festival at Pittsburg State University in Kansas, October 14-15. He took eight NSU students to the festival and the NSU Baroque Trumpet Ensemble (Oklahoma’s only such ensemble) performed at the “Student Spotlight” concert. He also performed with the Arkansas Philharmonic (Oct. 27), Tulsa Symphony Orchestra (Sept. 22), and Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (Sept. 16). Dr. Dovel, played trumpet in the Ash Lawn Opera Orchestra in Charlottesville, Virginia during July and August 2012. He won this position as a result of a national audition. Also during summer 2012, he participated in the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute (Oberlin, Ohio) and the Historic Brass Society Conference (New York, New York). His private student, Anne Linebarger (daughter of Dr. David Linebarger, associate professor of humanities) won the prestigious International Trumpet Guild Young Artist Award in March 2012.

Christine Hallman, assistant professor of geography, is the Cherokee County coordinator for CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow network). This organization is a community-based network of volunteers and citizen scientists that use low-cost measurement tools to collect local precipitation data all over the United States. Participants use a standardized rain gauge (~$35) to collect measurements, and then submit data via the internet. A variety of individuals and organizations (e.g. National Weather Service, USDA, emergency managers, farmers, teachers, etc.) utilize this precipitation data to map and analyze precipitation patterns. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, contact Dr. Hallman (hallman@nsuok.edu) or Visit CoCoRaHS website.

Connie Henshaw, instructor of English, is contributing to a new project on the status of women in Oklahoma during the 1800’s. Henshaw is co-editor with Terri M. Baker of Women Who Pioneered Oklahoma: Stories from the WPA Narratives, a University of Oklahoma Press publication is now in its third printing. The book was chosen for Havard’s main collection and the Schlesinger Collection on the History of Women in America. Women Who Pioneered Oklahoma explores the lives of 100 black, white, and Native American women who settled in Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory in the 1800’s. Paige Cornwell, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is project reporter for the publication “Native Daughters,” a collection of stories, profiles, and multimedia works about Native American women in Oklahoma. Cornwell is exploring the historical and social context for women in 1800’s Oklahoma and requested an interview with Henshaw at the suggestion of Dr. Brad Agnew. Henshaw is honored to collaborate and expand the understanding and audience for Oklahoma’s “founding mothers.”

Ande Kidanemariam, associate professor of sociology, was the 2012 recipient of the Reddick Award for the best article published in the Journal of Third World Studies in 2011. The article, entitled "Rethinking Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Africa: The Quest for an Integrated Model," appeared in the fall 2011 issue of the journal. Dr. Kidanemariam was honored at the annual meeting of the Association of Third World Studies in October.

Ben Kracht, professor of sociology, presented the paper "It Would Break Our Hearts Not to Have Our Kiowas: War Dancing, Tourism, and the Rise of Powwows in the Early 20th Century" at the Oklahoma Historical Society Annual Meeting in Miami in April. Dr. Kracht also presented "Kiowa Powwows" at the Inverness Village Retirement Community in Tulsa in June.

Donna Shelton, professor of Spanish, is one of three authors of the new edition of ¡Con brío!, a first-year, university-level Spanish textbook that will be published in November 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. She also revised and expanded the Grammar Handbook, an online supplement for ¡Con brío! that she authored in 2009. Two oil paintings by Associate Professor of Art Lance Hunter were chosen for the MOAK 2012: 4 State Exhibition opening at the Springfield Art Museum on November 17, 2012. The MOAK exhibition is open to artists residing in Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas and it has been held annually since 1990 at the museum. The juror for the 2012 exhibit was Kevin Murphy, the Curator of American Art at the Crystal Bridges Museum in Arkansas. Seventy-three artists were selected by Murphy for the exhibit. Hunter was one of only five artists selected from Oklahoma and one of only six artists selected to have more than one piece included in the exhibit. The two oil paintings by Hunter, “Continental Drift” and “Without Reason” will be on display at the museum until January 13, 2013. A watercolor by Hunter was purchased for the permanent collection of the Springfield Art Museum in 2010 from the Watercolor USA National Exhibition.

Vaughn Roste, Assistant Professor of Music, published "The Three Extant Masses of Claudio Monteverdi" in the August 2012 edition of the Choral Journal. From an unknown original number of masses that Monteverdi (1567-1643), only three survive - and Roste's article discussed each in turn. The Choral Journal is peer-adjudicated and is considered to be the top-ranked academic journal in the world in the choral field.

Dan Savage, Associate Professor of Political Science, and Jeonghum Min, Assistant Professor of Political Science, have had their article “The Influence of Socio-Economic Characteristics on the Political Attitudes of American Indians,” accepted for publication in the Social Science Journal. Their article, “The Political Attitudes of Voters in Eastern Oklahoma,” was published in Oklahoma Politics in November 2012.

Shannon Melody Unger, Assistant Professor of Music, was the featured alto soloist in the Memphis performance of Sir Michael Tippett's oratorio A Child of our Time with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and the Rhodes College Singers on November 2nd, 2012.

BUSINESS

Dr. Art Gilbert, Professor of Accounting and William F. Tolbert, Endowed Chair in Business, co-authored two manuscripts which have recently been accepted for publication. “E-readiness and Entrepreneurship: A Cross Country Study of the Link Between Technological Infrastructure and Entrepreneurial Activity,” co-authored with Dr. Richard Constand of the University of West Florida, is currently in press at the The Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance. “Does “IT Doesn’t Matter” Matter?: A Study of Innovation and Information Systems Issues,” co-authored with Drs. Roger Pick and Sidne Ward of the University of Missouri at Kansas City, is forthcoming in Review of Business Information Systems.

He was also asked to serve as an ad hoc reviewer for MIS Quarterly on an article which bridges the disciplines of Accounting and Management Information Systems.

Earlier this year, Dr. Gilbert arranged to have Dr. Joe Hair, a distinguished academician in the field of Marketing and lead author of the popular text Multivariate Data Analysis, come to the NSU Broken Arrow campus to present a one-day workshop for faculty on structural equation modeling using the AMOS software package.

LIBRARY

Linda West, Interim Executive Director of Libraries, attended a meeting of the Oklahoma Council of Academic Library Directors on September 20th at OSU- Tulsa where she shared recent developments in the libraries. She shared information about the recent construction of two student success and development centers in the John Vaughan Library.

Delores Sumner, assistant professor of Library Services and Linda West met on September 12th with the Director of the Indigenous Scholars Development Center and an outside evaluator to talk about library contributions to the grant and the current and past scholarly research that has been conducted in the John Vaughan Library Special Collections Department.

Jenifer Rogers, Linda West and Keith Head (Student) delivered almost 500 books donated from the library collections to the new Capitola “Cappi” Wadley Center on September 21. Most of the books were transferred from the Muskogee campus library where they were no longer needed.

Science

Dr. John Diamantopoulos was invited back by Excelsior College in NY on October 5-6, to be one of ten faculty from around the country to take part in a standards setting process. The faculty rigorously defined what was meant by various levels of "success" for a student in the content area (Pre-Calculus/ Algebra) and helped determine "cut scores" for credit by examination in lieu of taking the online course.

Optometry

David Lewerenz, OD, FAAO, provided two presentations to the American Optometric Association annual meeting in Chicago, IL on June 28 on patient management and on legal blindness and visual disability determination. He presented to the New Jersey Society of Optometric Physicians on age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pig- mentosa in Atlantic City, NJ on September 22. Presentations to Department of Rehabilitation Services workers were provided at the DRS Expo on October 5 covering low vision devices and the new Oklahoma law which allows driving with bioptic telescopes.

Dr. Richard Castillo:

In September I attended the Fall meeting of the National Commission on Vision and Health in Alexandria, VA, where I serve as a commission member. We met with the Assistant Secretary of Health, and the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research. Also, this past weekend I attended the National Board of Examiners ABS Part I Exam Construction Meeting, where I serve as chair of the systemic disease committee.

Research

Ms. Kathryn Schoonover-Redden, Director of Research and Sponsored Programs and Ms. Susan Foster, Director of Grants and Contracts presented at the National Council of University Research Administrator’s 6th Annual Pre-Award Research Administration International Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. Their presentation titled "Building Your Own Lifeboat: Research Administration at Smaller Institutions" discussed the teamwork and leadership involved in directing two separate pre-award/post- award departments.

Grants

Award Name: Cherokee Language Degree Program 2012-2013
Award Dates: 10/01/12 - 09/30/13
Award Amount: $100,000
Funding Agency: Cherokee Nation
Purpose of Award: To continue funding of an undergraduate program that will produce teachers who are fluent in speaking, reading, and writing the Cherokee Language. Culture and heritage will also be a part of the Bachelor of Arts in the Cherokee Education degree.
Project Director: Dr. Leslie Hannah
Project Faculty Coordinator: Mr. Wyman Kirk

College of Science & Health Occupations News

Dr. April Adams, Dr. Carl Aronson, Dr. Sapna Das- Bradoo, Dr. Ratnakar Deole, Dr. Kathi McDowell, Dr. Kevin Wang, and Dr. Sue Woods participated with the Luncheon with High School Counselors on the Broken Arrow campus on Sept. 21st .

Dr. April Adams presented a workshop entitled, “Online Professional Development,” at the Oklahoma Science Teacher Association Meeting at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Dr. April Adams had a presentation accepted for the International Meeting of the Association for Science Teacher Education to be held in Charleston, South Carolina.

Dr. April Adams and Dr. Pam Christol had a workshop accepted for the National Meeting of the National Science Teacher Association in San Antonio, TX. 

Dr. April Adams, Dr. Dragos Albinescu, and Dr. Craig Clifford participated in RiverHawk Rally.

Dr. Dragos Albinescu gave a talk entitled “Vitamin D and Cancer Chemoprevention” at the University of Tulsa, on Oct. 22nd, and served as a judge in the Heartland Best (Boost Engineering Science and Technology) Robotics at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, on Oct 27th.

Dr. Dragos Albinescu completed a “Synthesizing for Cancer Chemo” ROA-INBRE-project, funded by OUHSC and the National Institutes of Health grant ($ 12,222), involving the synthesis of three important intermediates that are required for the preparation of 1-α- hydroxyvitamin D5 side chain. Ultimately, this will allow the synthesis of a novel cancer chemopreventive agent. The project was executed in collaboration with Dr. Syed Hussaini, at the University of Tulsa. Dr. Albinescu also completed the NSU CTL “Online Blackboard Learn 9.1 Self Paced Training” course.

On Oct. 6, Dr. Jody Buckholtz took 7 students to Oklahoma State University for the 18th annual OK-LSAMP symposium. Of the 7 students attending, five had poster presentations. One of the OK-LSAMP scholars attended the SACNAS conference in Seattle, Washington. In November, 2 of the scholars will be presenting at the national AIESIS conference in Anchorage, Alaska.

Dr. Jody Buckholtz has started preparation of an online Safety program for science research students. Hopefully, this will be implemented by Spring 2013.

Dr. Pamela Christol took two classes of students to the Rogers County Conservation District Education Reserve for outdoor education activities on September 4th and 6th.

Dr. Pamela Christol is currently revising, with Dr. Erik Terdal, an EPA grant for resubmission. Environmental Education: Making Connections.

Dr. Pamela Christol, with Dr. Martha Parrott, will be giving two presentations at the “Teachers Teaching Teachers” conference in Bartlesville on Sept. 24th: Implementing the Common Core Standards Through A Team-Teaching Approach In Math and Science Grades PK–2 and Implementing the Common Core Standards Through A Team-Teaching Approach In Math and Science Grades 3-8.

Dr. Pamela Christol, as Chair of the National Science Teachers Association Leadership Task Force, has chaired the first national phone committee meeting on Sept. 5th.

Dr. Pamela Christol serves on the NSTA Planning Committee for the national conference in San Antonio, TX.

Dr. Pamela Christol implemented a two week professional development in service with Drs. Parrott and Sargent integrating science, math and language arts. (OCIC in Hominy).

Dr. Pamela Christol presented to the KIPP Academy 7th graders on August 22.

Dr. Cindy Cisar and two NSU students, Mark Martin and Andrew Young, attended the Arkansas INBRE Research Conference on October 5-6 in Spring-dale, AR. Andrew presented a poster entitled “Antimicrobial Effects of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Supernatant”. Mark presented a poster entitled “qnrS Genes in Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Environmental Bacteria”. In addition, Dr Cisar judged student oral and poster presentations at the conference. In October Dr. Cindy Cisar, Department of Natural Sciences, submitted a proposal to the Illumina, Inc. “Seek the Future: MiSeq® Grant Program” for a MiSeq next generation DNA sequencing instrument.

Cassandra Crawford and Pamela Reid attended the OkAND (Oklahoma Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics) Fall Symposium on October 26, 2012.

The FNDC and Dietetics students participated in the first ever Tahlequah Food Day on October 24th at Norris Park. The event was coordinated by Dr. Mark Carper of the College of Liberal Arts and Cassandra R. Crawford, Program Director, Dietetics / Nutrition, Sustainable Tahlequah, Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Association, Farmers Market, NSU FNDC, NSU Permaculture Club. The event promoted healthy, affordable, sustainable food.

The NSU Food Nutrition and Dietetics Club (FNDC) and Cassandra R. Crawford, Academic Adviser, hosted the first ever End Hunger Games Food Drive to benefit the Tahlequah CARE Food Pantry. This successful venture collected over 1,200 non-perishable food items. The group competitors placed as follows:

1st place - NSU Department of Human and Family Sciences

2nd place - NSU Kappa Sigma

3rd place - NSU College of Liberal Arts

4th place - NSU Phi Lambda Chi

5th place - Tahlequah Middle School

Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo was an invited speaker at the regional AAAS-SWARM meeting at University of Oklahoma. The title of the talk was “DNA replication and S phase checkpoint in budding yeast”. Dr. Das-Bradoo’s student Ian Schalo was awarded the second prize at this meeting.

Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo attended and presented a research poster at the FASEB meeting on “Yeast Chromosome Structure, Replication & Segregation” at Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Dr. John de Banzie attended the Arkansas INBRE Research Meeting and served as judge for both oral presentations and poster presentations in Biology undergraduate student category.

Dr. John de Banzie made a presentation in the Physics Seminar program entitled "Tug-of-War: Lasers vs. Ribosomes".

Dr. Patrick Harrington gave a presentation to computer science majors at TCC's southeast campus on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. It covered the topic of NSU's Computer Science program at NSU-Broken Arrow and included information about core and elective courses.

Dr. Jim Hicks attended a Faculty Council meeting as a delegate from the College of Science and Health Professions.

Ms. Deborah Hyde attended the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Course Equivalency Meeting representing NSU's Geoscience program.

Ms. Deborah Hyde participated in the Sustainable Enterprise Conference on October 18, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Tulsa, sponsored by OSU's Spears School of Business.

Dr. Tiffany Maher published a new lab manual for General Chemistry 1 Laboratory.

Dr. Kathi McDowell successfully completed an online workshop entitled “Independent Applying the QM Rubric” on September 5, 2012.

Dr. Kathi McDowell, Dr. Pamela Christol and Dr. Martha Parrott submitted a 2013 Summer Academy Grant Proposal to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education entitled “Get Green for Blue: Outdoor Investigations to Connect Water to You”. The new grant would be for 3 years with a budget of $42,918 ($14,306/year) of direct support or $64,518 ($21,506/year) in direct plus in-kind contributions.

Dr. Marvita McGuire, Medical Laboratory Science , Dr. Jodi Gooden, Nursing, and Ms. Sallie Ruskoski, Medical Laboratory Science, had abstracts accepted as poster abstracts for the 2013 Clinical Laboratory Educators’ Conference (CLEC). The abstracts will be published in the Spring issue of the ASCLS Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science.

NSU Fish and Wildlife student Brian Becker and NSU Biology Professor Dr. Mark Paulissen had the following article come out in the peer-reviewed journal Herpetological Conservation and Biology: Becker, B. M. and M. A. Paulissen. 2012. Sexual Dimorphism in Head Size in the Little Brown Skink (Scincella lateralis). Herpetological Conservation and Biology.7:109-114. The work was from an undergraduate research project Brian Becker developed under Dr. Paulissen’s Mentorship.

Dr. Erik Terdal submitted a report on conservation efforts on behalf of Scarlet Macaws in Belize to the Rainforest Restoration Foundation. The report is on the RRF website.

Dr. Erik Terdal and colleague Roni Martinez had their paper on Mesocarnivore mammals in Belize accepted for the 75th annual meeting of The Wildlife Society in Portland, Oregon, for October.

Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand, Dr. Diana Mashburn, Dr. Jodi Gooden, and Ms. Jennifer O’Connor, nursing, attended the 2012 Oklahoma Nurses Association Annual Convention in October. Dr. Mashburn was elected as Chair of the Nominations Committee. Dr. Van Nostrand continued as Region Nurses Association 3 representative on the ONA Board of Directors.

Dr. Sue Woods attended the Advisors’ Workshop for Pre-Professional Health Advisors at OU Health Sciences Center in OKC on Sept. 14th.

The Pre-Professional Health Club held its first meeting with guest speakers on Sept. 12 at 4:30. Lacey Nichols presided at the meeting and Dr. Sue Woods is the sponsor of the club. Dr. Sue Woods described some of the services available to students who are applying to professional schools. The guest speaker was Dr. Mike Woods, the director of a Family Medicine Residency Program for OU. His program is based in Ramona, OK and is designed to train physicians to practice in rural communities. He brought Joel Ramey, an MSIV at OU, and they discussed how to prepare for and survive interviews.

Dr. Sue Woods attended the state convention of the Oklahoma State School Board in OKC Aug. 25-26.

Dr. Sue Woods completed the Quality Matters course which ended Sept. 30th.

Dr. Sue Woods spent Friday, Oct 5th at Caney Valley Elementary School in Ochelata, Oklahoma showing organisms in pond water to students in Grades 1-5. She used her phase contrast microscope with a camera attachment to display several samples of protozoa and bacteria. Some of the older classes observed prepared tissue slides.

The Pre-Professional Health Club in Broken Arrow had two meetings recently. K and Kurt, the volunteer coordinator for OSU Medical Center, was the guest speaker at the meeting on Sept. 27th. Another meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 10th, had two guest speakers: Crystal Duffey from OU College of Pharmacy and Missy McCollough from AHEC. Dr. Sue Woods is the sponsor of the PPHC in Broken Arrow.

Dr. Sue Woods was the guest speaker at the TCC-SE Pre-Medicine and Science club meeting. Seven NSU students accompanied her. They answered questions about what NSU has to offer and the transition from TCC to NSU.

The Pre-Professional Health Club at NSU-BA had a meeting on Oct. 25. Maghin Abernathy, a Recruiter from OSU-CHS, was there with several former NSU students who are now at OSU-COM. Dr. Sue Woods is the sponsor of the PPH Club.

Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau, a Research Associate and Adjunct Professor from Department of Natural Sciences, served in a panel in reviewing Pre-Health Profession students.

Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau, Adjunct Professor from Department of Natural Sciences, and Dr. Neal Stewart Jr. (University of Tennessee) have submitted a review paper titled ‘Less is more: strategies to remove marker genes from transgenic plants’ to a scientific journal for reviewing.

Dr. Jude Abia received a grant under the NSU Healthy Campus Initiative. This grant will be used to purchase a table tennis board for the science building in BA.

Dr. Jude Abia submitted an article for publication in BioResources journal.

Dr. April Adams participated as a member in the December meeting of the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation’s Program Accreditation Committee meeting in Oklahoma City.

Ms. Deborah Hyde participated in the Geological Society of America's Annual Meeting held in Charlotte, North Carolina from November 4-8. Her presentation was titled "Scheduling Approaches for Accommodating Non-traditional Students".

Karl Kruczek attended the National Science Foundation Day sponsored by Oklahoma EPSCOR, at the University of Tulsa on January 8, 2013.

Dr. Kathi McDowell attended the Executive Council Meeting and the Technical Meeting of the Oklahoma Academy of Science on November 8 and 9, 2012 at the University of Central Oklahoma. She served as Chair of the Science Education section. Dr McDowell presented a talk entitled “Get Green for Blue: An Environmentally Based Summer Academy Program”. This presentation was the culmination of a three year summer academy program in collaboration with Dr. Martha Parrott and Dr. Pamela Christol.

Dr. Martha Parrott is co-director with Dr. Kathi McDowell and Dr. Pam Christol of "Get Green for Blue," a summer academy for high school students funded by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Through outdoor education experiences, students become scientists who investigate water quality and water conservation in ways that blend mathematics with science and encourage students to consider STEM careers. The "Get Green for Blue" grant has recently been funded for summer 2013.

Dr. Martha Parrott recently presented at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics conference in Dallas, Texas.

By invitation, Dr. Martha Parrott served on the Oklahoma Elementary Mathematics Specialist competency setting committee. She has also been selected to serve on the OSAT test development committee in spring 2013.

Dr. Mark Paulissen and NSU student Brian Becker led a course in Snake Identification for the "Women in the Outdoors" program at Lake Tenkiller State Park in November. Using live animals, Dr. Paulissen and Mr. Becker discussed how to identify snakes, the importance of snakes in local ecosystems, and why people shouldn't kill every snake they see!

Dr. Mark Paulissen and NSU Graduate Student Christine Morse presented a paper entitled: "Behavioral interactions between juvenile five-lined skink lizards of different sizes" at the 101st Annual Technical Meeting of the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences held in Edmond, Oklahoma; November 9, 2012.

Dr. Erik Terdal presented with a graduate student and an undergraduate alumna on jaguar population ecology in Belize, Central America, to the Fish & Wildlife section of the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences meeting at the University of Central Oklahoma. He also became the Chair of that section.

Dr. Erik Terdal presented on mesocarnivore ecology to the annual meeting of The Wildlife Society in Portland, Oregon, with both a talk and a poster.

Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang published a paper, “Cloning, Expression and Characterization of a Gene from Earthworm Eisenia fetida Encoding a Blood-Clot Dissolving Protein" in peer-reviewed journal PlosOne.

Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau, of the Department of Natural Sciences, was invited to serve as a Guest Editor in organizing a special issue for the American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology.

Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau, authored a manuscript titled Less is more: strategies to remove marker genes from transgenic plants. The manuscript has been accepted to publish in the SCI journal BMC Biotechnology as a review paper.

Dr. April Adams reviewed a course for Quality Matters.

Dr. April Adams participated as a member in the February meeting of the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation’s Program Accreditation Committee meeting in Oklahoma City.

Dr. John de Banzie organized the Science and Technology Seminar Series for the Spring semester.

Dr. John Diamantopoulos attended the Joint Mathematics Meeting in San Diego, CA. This is the major national meeting of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) and the American Mathematical Society, and was attended by over 6,000 mathematicians. As the webmaster for the OKAR MAA section, John attended the Section Officer's meeting. He also served as a judge in the Undergraduate Student Poster Competition.

Dr. John Diamantopoulos was invited to present a talk for students in the math department at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, MO entitled "Shapes and Smiles". John was also invited to present a talk for students in the math department at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS entitled "A Number By Any Other Name...".

Ms Deborah Hyde has completed DotNetNuke website training.

Dr. Kathi McDowell attended the Oklahoma EPSCoR (Oklahoma Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) NSF (National Science Foundation) Day workshop at the University of Tulsa on Jan 8, 2013 from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Dr. Kathi McDowell attended the Summer Academy Directors meeting on January 25, 2013. This meeting was broadcast from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education via ITV to project directors who were awarded Summer Academy Grants.

Jennifer O'Connor (Nursing) achieved Certified Nurse Educator (CNE) status, which reflects excellence and advanced practice in nursing.

Dr. Mark Paulissen and NSU Graduate Student Christine Morse presented a paper entitled: "Behavioral interactions between juvenile five-lined skink lizards of different sizes" at the 101st Annual Technical Meeting of the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences held in Edmond, Oklahoma; November 9, 2012.

Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand is a member of a state nursing task force focusing on nursing education and articulation.

Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang published a paper" Cloning, Expression and Characterization of a Gene from Earthworm Eisenia fetida Encoding a Blood-Clot Dissolving Protein" in peer-reviewed journal PlosOne.

Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau, of the Department of Natural Sciences, was invited to serve as a Guest Editor in organizing a special issue for the American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology.

Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau, authored a manuscript titled Less is more: strategies to remove marker genes from transgenic plants. The manuscript has been accepted to publish in the SCI journal BMC Biotechnology as a review paper.

College of Business & Technology

Dr. Michael Landry, professor of marketing and coordinator of the NSU supply chain management major, and Dr. Ken Jones, assistant professor of information systems, on October 10 took thirty-one students and others to visit two Wal- Mart distribution centers in Bentonville, Arkansas. Dr. Landry and Dr. Mark Nelson, associate professor of technology, recently worked with executives of SLW Automotive in writing an application for a grant from the Oklahoma Center for Science and Technology. The grant would help fund interns for SLW. Among the internships would be one in purchasing, with the hopes that an NSU supply chain management major could participate in the program. Aiding them was professional grant writer Julie Ferguson of Sallisaw. Chinese-owned SLW has sales offices in Detroit and manufactures automobile oil pumps in Sallisaw.

In October Dr. Landry reviewed presentations by CEOs of small businesses participating in the Small Business Administration’s Streetwise Steps to Small Business Growth on the Broken Arrow campus.

Dr. Landry continued to be involved in the Action in Muskogee planning sessions, community-based meetings developing a vision for Muskogee. In the past, Dr. Landry’s Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) students have done exercises in developing marketing plans for economic development for Muskogee, especially in the realm of positioning the city as a center for logistics and supply chain management. During the Fall, 2012, semester IMC students have been working on marketing plans for recruiting students to the supply chain management program. In addition, Dr. Landry has remained part of a marketing committee which has resumed its work on behalf of a new children’s museum to be built in Northwest Arkansas.

On November 13, Dr. Landry joined other members of the Tulsa Chapter of the National Association of Purchasing Management in volunteer work at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma as part of the chapter’s monthly meeting.

Library

Dr. Pamela Louderback was awarded two Let’s Talk About It Oklahoma! (LTAIO) Oklahoma Reading/Discussion Program Grants - from the Oklahoma Humanities Council (OHC) and the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH) ($1,000 each): 1. The book discussion series of “Chills and Thrills” program held on the second Thursday of each month from July through November on the NSU Muskogee campus in partnership with Connors State College; 2. The book discussion series of “Not for Children Only” program will be held from January through May 2013.

Dr. Pamela Louderback, Darren Tobey, Linda West, Sarah Burkhead Whittle and Susan Woitte from the Library attended the annual fall conference of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Association of College and Research Libraries on November 2, 2012 in Tulsa at Tulsa Community College. The theme for the conference was "Library Without Walls : Mobile Tech and the Future of Libraries".

Tom Rink has been appointed to the Finance Committee of the Special Libraries Association for 2013-2014, he is in his second year as Secretary of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Special Libraries Association, Tom is the Membership Chair of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Special Libraries Association, the Membership Chair of the Leadership and Management Division of the Special Libraries Association, a member of the Conference Program Planning Committee for the Leadership and Management Division of the Special Libraries Association, a Director on the Executive Board of the Knowledge and Information Professionals Association, and is serving on the Criminal Justice Program Advisory Council for Vatterott College.

Pamela Louderback is now the current President of the Oklahoma Chapter of the Special Libraries Association, has been appointed to serve on the Information Outlook Advisory Council, and is the current Vice-President of the Knowledge and Information Professionals Association.

Brenda Bradford NSU Archives Assistant has been selected as a participant in the Oklahoma Arts Council: 2013 Leadership Class.

College of Liberal Arts

Dr. Eun-Jun Bang, assistant professor of social work, presented a paper entitled “Assessing PTSD and Resilience for Adult Daughters of Battered Women at the Annual Meeting for Council on Social Work Education, Washington, DC, November 10, 2012.

Kristopher Copeland, instructor of communication, presented the competitive paper titled "Pimping Off the People": Discussing the Design of Lottery Legislation," at the National Communication Association conference in November 2012.

Dr. Jason Dovel, assistant professor of music, taught and performed at the 2013 Exploring Brass in Greece festival in Kalavrita, Greece. He and four NSU students departed on January 1 for the international festival and returned on January 10. In December, Dr. Dovel performed with the Lone Star Wind Orchestra under the baton of Leonard Slatkin at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic in Chicago. He also played various regional orchestral concerts with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra, Tulsa Oratorio Chorus, Arkansas Philharmonic, and Symphony of Northwest Arkansas.

Geography faculty Dr. Christine Hallman, Dr. Mark Carper, and Dr. Amanda Coleman and the Department of Social Sciences sponsored activities for Geography Awareness Week Nov 11-17th. This year’s theme was "Declare Your Interdependence". Elizabeth Montgomery- Anderson, Cherokee Nation Geodata Center, and Dr. Carper coordinated presenters for GIS Day on November 14th. Speakers were Kurt Bickle, Indian Nations Council of Governments, Doug Moore, City of Tahlequah, Brad Asbill, Cherokee Nation Environmental Programs Programs, Marty Kimble, Cherokee County 911, John Claytor, a geography major employed by 911, and Janie Goddard, also a geography major employed by Cherokee Nation Geodata Center. Hallman collaborated with Austin Elliott and Quinten Tibbets, 7th grade teachers from Tahlequah Middle School, in order to provide 240 seventh graders with an opportunity to learn how to use GPS units to find hidden treasures or geocaching. Hallman was assisted by Dr. Chuck Ziehr, emeritus professor of geography, and by NSU geography majors and social studies majors Nate Calhoon, John Claytor, Bonnie Jordan, Justin Kindle, Jon Ross, Ashley Stoddard and Rachel Taylor. 

Dr. Ben Kracht, professor of anthropology, published the article, “It Would Break Our Hearts Not to Have Our Kiowas”; War Dancing, Tourism, and the Rise of Powwows in the Early Twentieth Century in The Chronicles of Oklahoma 90(3):286-309 (Fall 2012). Kracht also appeared on KTUL (Tulsa Channel 8) 10:00 news on November 5 and was interviewed by reporter Burt Mummalo Interview about the Maya "doomsday" of December 21, 2012.

Dr. Kimberly Lee from Languages and Literatures will be presenting at the Conference of College Composition and Communication in March. The session, "Teaching a New Ghost Dance: American Indian Texts" will focus on utilizing Native writing in the Composition classroom. Lee is also the Tribal Scholarship liaison for the organization.

Vaughn Roste, assistant professor of music, travelled to Red Deer, Alberta, Canada to present at the Choral Music Symposium section as part of the Alberta Music Conference in November, 2012. His presentation, “A Comparison of Two French Settings of the Seven Last Words of Christ,” looked at how Theodore Dubois’ 1867 orchestral setting of that title has several musical, textual, and orchestrational similarities to Cesar Franck’s 1859 piece of the same name.

Political Science faculty Dr. Dan Savage and Dr. Jeonghum Min had three separate articles accepted for publication this past fall. “The Political Attitudes of Voters in Eastern Oklahoma” was published in Oklahoma Politics (November 2012) 13-40. “The Influence of Socio-Economic Characteristics on the Political Attitudes of American Indians,” was published by the Social Science Journal v49 (2012) 494-502. “Poverty, Populism, and Party Identification in Eastern Oklahoma,” was accepted for publication by the Midsouth Political Science Review. The electronic version will be available in Spring 2013 and the printed copy will be available in Fall 2013. Min and Savage presented the paper, “Poverty, Populism, and Party Identification in Eastern Oklahoma,” at the Southern Political Science Association conference in Orlando on January 3rd.

In addition, using a DRC grant, Min and Savage hired 40 students to help us conduct an exit poll at 20 different polling stations in Cherokee and Adair Counties during the November 6, 2012 election. The data will be analyzed and finding presented in at least two additional papers in the coming year. 

Three current members and one retired member of the NSU music faculty performed with the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, February 9, 2013 at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Dr. Norman Wika, trombone, Dr. Anne Watson, clarinet, Dr. Jason Dovel, trumpet, and Dr. Robert Bailey, trumpet, performed on the concert with works by Michael Daughery, Charles Ives, and Mark O’Connor.

Dr. Joseph Faulds, Professor of English, read selected passages from his literary works of the past forty years, including Heart of An Eagle; Conversations With Kid Cougar and Lim Hang High; The Wind, the Horse, and the Insect; The Seasons of Their Love; and The Kateri Chantings: Dream of a Holy Woman, for "The Friends of the Library" program February 14 at the Tahlequah Public Library.

Dr. Ben Kracht, Professor of Anthropology, has won the Muriel Wright Award for the best article to appear in The Chronicles of Oklahoma during 2012. Dr. Kracht's article is titled "'It Would Break Our Hearts Not to Have Our Kiowas': War Dancing, Tourism, and the Rise of Powwows in the Early Twentieth Century." He will receive the award at the Oklahoma Historical Society annual meetings in late April. 

Dr. John Mercer, Professor of English, Monique (Idoux) Brinker, Coordinator of the BA Writing Lab, and Dr. Mike Wilds, Professor of Criminal Justice, recently participated as judges in the nationwide VFW "Voice of Democracy" essay competition for grades 9-12. Monique has participated as a judge in the VFW competition for the past five years while John and Mike have been judges since 1998. The winner of the competition received a $30,000 college scholarship. Her winning presentation and information about the upcoming 2013 contest is located at the Veterans of Foreign Wars website,http://www.vfw.org/ Community/Voice-of-Democracy. 

Chris Miller, Assistant Professor of Theatre, has had his play,"Focus" accepted for publication by Independent Playwrights Inc. It is scheduled for publication later this year.

Tony O'seland, Lecturer of English, is serving as the volunteer coordinator for the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall project that is bringing the traveling wall to Tahlequah from April 16-21. Those involved are looking for individuals and groups who would be interested in helping out with the Wall when it arrives, and during its stay. The Wall will be located at the Sequoyah HS Football field and will be open 24 hours each day. There will be chaplains and counselors available as well as individuals trained in helping find the names of the fallen.

Timothy Saucier, Assistant Professor of Theatre, will be presenting two workshops, "Physically Finding Your Character" and "Meisner: Basic Repetition", at the Southeastern Theatre Conference in Louisville, KY in March. He has also been approved to present a workshop at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education Conference in Orlando, FL in August. Additionally, the NSU Theatre Company's production of Black Comedy by Peter Shaffer, directed by Saucier is an entry in the Kennedy Center's American College Theatre Festival. 

The Bachelors of Social Work program at Northeastern State University has been reaffirmed accreditation for 8 years, until 2021, by The Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Commission on Accreditation.

Results from the state tournament this past weekend - NSU did very well winning 12 awards including 4 state championship titles in individual events and earning 2nd place in Individual Events Sweepstakes. The students worked very hard and I'm very proud of their accomplishments. Our season ends with nationals on March 8-10.

We have two students listed in the Tulsa World's coverage on the annual Addy Awards. Of the four student areas, NSU won two of them. Tulsa won the others. Our publications and news pages (online) are brimming with COLA activities and I am very proud of my colleagues' and student successes.

Optometry

Dr. Michelle Welch named 2013-2014 Optometrist of the Year by the Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians (OAOP). Dr. Welch is a 1995 graduate of Northeastern State University Oklahoma College of Optometry. Dr. Welch received the NSU Circle of Excellence Award for Service in 2009-2010 and currently serves the college as Associate Dean and Professor. Dr. Welch is responsible for ten eye clinics within the NSU and Cherokee Nation Health Division and lectures all over the U.S. promoting the latest in optometric surgical techniques, lasers, and judicious prescribing. She instills the importance of the OAOP, encourages grass roots political involvement, and promotes board certification to all students, faculty and practicing OD's. Dr. Welch is a Diplomat of the American Board of Optometry and has been an OAOP member since 1995. Her involvement within the association has included serving as district director and various other committees and is currently an executive member of the Optometric Education and Excellence committee. Dr. Welch will celebrate her award at the OAOP Spring Congress luncheon on Saturday, April 13 that the Embassy Suites in Norman.

Richard E. Castillo, OD, DO, has been elected Chairman of the National Commission on Vision and Health. He succeeds Dr. Edwin C. Marshall, Vice President of Indiana University, the Commission's founding Chair. The National Commission on Vision and Health (NCVH) is a national, non-partisan group of public health leaders, whose mission is to improve the nations’ visual health by helping assure access to vision care as an integrated part of public health programs at the national, state and local levels. The Commission collaborates with experts in science and health policy to ensure informed analysis and policy recommendations to help prevent blindness, improve vision function and eliminate vision health disparities.

Dr. Lee Carr named 2013 Optometrist of the Year by the Heart of America Contact Lens Society (HOACLS).

The Heart of America Contact Lens Society (HOACLS) Optometrist of the Year is an optometrist who has made substantial contributions to the understanding of professional practice and/or contact lenses and primary care optometry.

Dr. Carr received this award at the HOACLS annual awards banquet on February 16th in Kansas City, MO.

Research

Sara Barnett-Flores was recently selected to serve as a reader for the 2013 Gates Millennium scoring and selection process. This prestigious honor has been bestowed upon Sara due to her exemplary work in the field of education and student services. She is a part of a select group of few individuals from across the country that will choose our next cohort of Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Scholars.

The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) initiative, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, was established in 1999 to provide outstanding African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander American, and Hispanic American students with an opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in all discipline areas and graduate education for those students pursuing advanced degrees in mathematics, science, engineering, education, public health and library science. The goal of GMS is to promote academic excellence and to provide an opportunity for outstanding students with significant financial need to reach their fullest potential. The GMS program is a twenty-year initiative, selecting one thousand students per year as Gates Millennium Scholars.

Congratulations to Sara as she travels to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the screening and selection of GMS nominees in February 2013!!

Grant Awards

Award Name: McAlester Scottish Rite Care Clinic 2012-2013 
Award Dates: 08/15/2012 - 08/14/2013
Award Amount: $26,300
Project Director: Dr. Karen Patterson
Purpose: To provide Speech/Language screening, diagnostic and intervention services along with clinical super- vision at the NSU-Muskogee campus for Fall 2012/Spring 2013/Summer 2013 semesters.
This is year (6) for this award.

Award Name: Alternative Education Delivery Program 2013 
Award Dates: January 1, 2013 - December 31, 2013
Award Amount: $300,000
Project Director(s): Dr. Karen Patterson
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education
Purpose of Award: To create a Speech-Language Pathology training program that is more readily accessible through a combination of evening, weekend, summer and technology-based courses. To provide financial support for graduate students in the Speech-Language Pathology program with the stipulation of an employment commitment in the public schools as a condition for receiving assistance.

ABOUT THIS ISSUE

This issue of the Academic Times is a “catch-up” issue with previously unpublished articles. Please accept our apologies for the lateness of publication. We hope to begin regular publication again with the September issue. The deadline date will be emailed to the secretary of each college or department not under a particular college.

Business and Technology

“Commerce in the Late Unpleasantness: Business Aspects of Civil War Railroads” by Dr. Michael Landry, NSU professor of marketing, and Dr. Richard Stone, professor emeritus of Shippensburg University, is slated for publication in June in the Journal of Transportation Law, Logistics, and Policy. Also, an article entitled“Railroad Renaissance: The Post-1970 Short Line Movement,” published in 2001 in Essays in Economic and Business History by Dr. Landry, and Dr. John Ozment of the University of Arkansas, is being reprinted in Readings in Modern Railroad Management by the Center for Transportation Studies at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

As part of an April doctoral symposium on supply chain management at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Dr. Landry was involved in roundtable discussions with doctoral students regarding their research. Also, Dr. Landry was scheduled to speak at the May 14 annual Success Expo in Muskogee on the topic of customer service.

Dr. Landry, who is coordinator of the NSU supply chain management program, and Dr. Ken Jones, assistant professor of information systems, took thirty-six graduate and undergraduate students to tour the Wal-Mart grocery distribution center near Bartlesville on April 3. Drs. Landry and Jones also hosted recruiting booths for the supply chain management program at career fairs at NSU-Tahlequah, Muskogee High School, and Indian Capital Technology Center in Muskogee during the spring, 2013, semester.

Teresa Martin, Northeastern State University senior in supply chain management, received a $1,000 scholarship April 9 from the Tulsa Chapter of the National Association of Purchasing Management. The award was part of the activities of the NSU supply chain program’s hosting of the NAPM monthly meeting at the Broken Arrow campus. About thirty were in attendance, including NSU students, faculty, administrators, and NAPM members. Other activities included dinner, a campus tour, and a presentation regarding supply chain careers by NAPM’s Vice Chair K. Scott Mullins of the NORDAM Group (at far right). Also pictured are NAPM Chair Billie Ketchum, of NORDAM, and Membership Chair Nick Jackson of Baker Hughes, Inc. Martin, of Claremore, works for QuikTrip. It was NSU’s second hosting of the NAPM meeting.

College of Liberal Arts

Mark Bighley, Professor of Music and Chair of the Department of Performing Arts, performed on the Organ Vespers series at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New York City on Sunday, March 3, 2013. He performed works by J.S. Bach, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, and the contemporary Spanish composer Miguel de la Barca.

Dr. Armstrong-Crandall and 22 NSU Broken Arrow Social Work students attended TU School of Law's Annual Hager Lecture featuring Michelle Alexander who presented "The New Jim Crow".

NSU's Social Work Department and TCC's Human Services Department hosted the 2nd annual Social Work Social in honor of Social Work Month. The event brought together social work students, practitioners, social service agencies and social work educators to celebrate the profession of social work.

Dr. Melissa Strong received an invitation to contribute to the MLA volume Approaches to Teaching the Literatures of the American Civil War, edited by Professor Colleen Glenney Boggs of Dartmouth College.

Dr. Jason Dovel, assistant professor of music, hosted the sixth annual NSU Trumpet Festival on February 16, 2013 in the NSU Center for the Performing Arts. Over one hundred high school, collegiate, and adult trumpet players from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, and Kansas attended this popular event. His new professional trumpet ensemble, Clarino Collective, an ensemble made up of trumpet professors in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas, gave their premier performance at this event.

Dr. Jason Dovel, assistant professor of music, hosted the sixth annual NSU Trumpet Festival on February 16, 2013 in the NSU Center for the Performing Arts. Over one hundred high school, collegiate, and adult trumpet players from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, and Kansas attended this popular event. His new professional trumpet ensemble, Clarino Collective, an ensemble made up of trumpet professors in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Arkansas, gave their premier performance at this event.

March 15, 2013, Dr. Virginia Whitekiller, served as the guest speaker for Women's History Month: Women Vets Make History, at the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center in Muskogee.

The NSU Competitive Speech Team competed at the state tournament on February 23rd. The team took 2nd place in Individual Events Sweepstakes for Oklahoma Schools. The team won a total of 12 awards at the state tournament including 4 state championships. The team finished the season at the Junior Varsity Nationals taking 2nd place in the Division II category. The team won a total of 8 awards at the Junior Varsity National Tournament in Hutchinson, KS.

Dr. Mike Wilds delivered the CLEET commencement speech at the graduation ceremony for 70 new law enforcement officers. He discussed the future of law enforcement and what it means to serve and protect. Approximately 800 attended the ceremony.

Dr. Virginia Whitekiller's Senior Seminar social work class made the following educational community presentations: Joshua Totill, Katherine Smoot, and Andrea Cousparis, presented March 1, 2013, at the Douglass Nutritional Center in Muskogee, on Living Wills and DNR (Do Not Resuscitate); Tammy Simmons, Kimberly Jacob, and Robin Stavros, presented March 6, 2013, at the United Keetwooband Band of Cherokee Indians on Nutrition and Health, and Kristin Tanner, Terah Finney, Leighanna Miller and Matt Payne presented on March 12, 2013 at the Tahlequah City Hospital Rehabilitation Unit on Promoting Independent Living through Exercise.

Associate Professor of Art, Lance Hunter, had a painting entitled "Fish Tales" pictured to the right, selected for the 146th International Exhibition of the America Watercolor Society. The exhibition was held from April 2nd to April 21st at the Salmagundi Club on Fifth Avenue in New York City. For most art professionals, the AWS exhibition is considered the premiere watercolor exhibition in the nation. Hunter also recently completed a group of murals in the entrance and reception area of the new Muskogee Wellness Center facility located in the Honor Heights region of Muskogee. Adjunct art instructor, Sylvia Nitti and the couples' daughter helped with sections of that mural project. Hunter received a second place award in Nude 9, a popular annual exhibition and event held in downtown Tulsa in March.

April Hathcoat, Larry Scrapper, and Jacque Adam from Cherokee Nation Environmental Programs provided an on-site tour of their Stilwell data collection location for Dr. Christine Hallman’s Weather & Climate course on February 25th. Students learned about monitoring ozone, mercury, and other substances in the air that may impact human health. They had the opportunity to discover how a variety of meteorological instruments work and collect data. This field trip helped students tie what they discussed in the classroom with real world studies in a hands-on way. It was also a wonderful chance to ask experts about instruments, data recording, environmental concerns, and career possibilities.

Dr. Kimberly Lee presented a paper at the Conference of College Composition (Las Vegas) entitled "Rhetoric and Resistance: American Indian Musicians and the Idle No More Movement." This was in conjunction with a pedagogy workshop designed to aid instructors in bringing Indigenous texts into the writing classroom. Lee also served as the NCTE liaison to Tribal College Initiative.

Dr. Allyson L. Watson was recently recognized for her leadership over the past three years as president of the national Gates Millennium Scholars Alumni Association. Dr. Watson was instrumental in setting the groundwork for the organization and lead tasks to identify key areas of priority, prepare and implement bylaws and structure the organization. Dr. Watson was awarded a limited edition matted Gates Millennium Scholars t-shirt with signatures from the 2012 scholarship class. This is only the fourth award given of its kind. The first award was given to Bill and Melinda Gates and the former Gates Millennium Scholar Executive Director. Dr. Watson also was thanked for the tremendous work on behalf of NSU Gates Scholars. A national survey was conducted from the GMS program and an overwhelming 63% of NSU Alumni stated they are engaged and aware of the Gates Scholars program on campus and in the surrounding community. 

American Educational Research Association (AERA)

Dr. Allyson L. Watson recently presented research at the American Educational Research Association 2013 Annual Meeting. She and her co-research team presented, “Leading from the Margins: Examining the Lived Experiences of Black Women in Higher Education Administration”

Recognition Reception at University of Texas Austin hosted by President Powers.

Dr. Allyson L. Watson was recently recognized for being a woman of influence at the University of Texas Austin. Dr. Watson is a personal mentor to Gates Millennium Scholar and UT-Austin senior Miss Damilola Olatayo. Dr. Watson received a glass blown Texas longhorn to honor her work as a mentor to Damilola and other Gates Millennium Scholars across the country. I have been blessed to have been mentored by amazing women such as our dean of students, Dr. Soncia Reagins-Lilly, the CEO of our university’s alumni association, Leslie Cedar, the president of our scholarship’s alumni association, Dr. Allyson Watson, and most recently the president’s deputy, Ms. Nancy Brazil. Receiving mentoring from them has made all the difference because these individuals embody the types of successes I wish to achieve, and the type of change I strive to make in this world. Their very presence validates my dreams and I know that I am standing on the shoulders of giants.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document by the 15th of the month for the next month’s issue. If you have any questions, please email Susan Marrs at perrysu@nsuok.edu. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

College of Education

Dr. Tobi Thompson and Mrs. Ingrid Ahrens-Massey provided staff development at Rejoice Christian School in January for their primary teachers. Topics included oral language, phonemic awareness, and phonics.

Dr. Tobi Thompson and Mrs. Ingrid Ahrens-Massey provided staff development for 5th through 8th grade teachers at Lowrey Public School. They spoke on practical strategies to enhance students’ vocabulary.

Mrs. Ingrid Ahrens-Massey presented a workshop on classroom management for the Tahlequah Student Oklahoma Education Association (SOEA).

Dr. Anita Ede was interviewed about setting up learning centers that are developmentally appropriate for children in daycare and preschool. The interview was published at: http://www.ownadaycare.com

Mrs. Meagan Moreland represented NSU at a two-day meeting to develop the Reading Specialist Examination for the State OSAT (Oklahoma Subject Area Test) Examination.

Mrs. Meagan Moreland and Dr. Stephan Sargent presented a workshop dealing with the Common Core State Standards (http://www.corestandards.org) for the educators of the Catholic Diocese of Tulsa at Bishop Kelley.

Mrs. Meagan Moreland is hosting a reading clinic this spring at NSU-BA for children of Springdale Elementary School (Tulsa Public). Dr. Stephan Sargent is hosting a reading clinic this spring for children of Caney Valley Elementary.

Dr. Stephan Sargent was the lead evaluator for Bixby Public School’s North Central Accreditation Site Visit (http://www.advanc-ed.org) in January.

Dr. Stephan Sargent and Dr. Jim Ferrell were external evaluators for Elmore County, Alabama’s accreditation visit of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (http://www.sacs.org).

Dr. Tobi Thompson and Ms. Ingrid Ahrens-Massey conducted a family literacy night for 3rd-8th grade students at Maryetta schools in Stilwell. They focused the presentation on reading comprehension strategies.

Dr. Mary Swanson and Dr. Martha Parrott published an article entitled, “Linking Literacy and Mathematics.”

Dr. Stephan Sargent and Mrs. Meagan Moreland were invited speakers at the Diocesan (Catholic Diocese of Tulsa) Professional In-Service Program this spring in Tulsa.

Dr. Roxanne Fillmore was recently interviewed about how to help children transition to and from daycare and home. The interview was published at: http://www.ownadaycare.com

Dallas McCutcheon receives the spring 2013 SNAG (Starting New at Golf) award from COE Assistant Dean, Dr. Vanessa Anton. SNAG is an international company that produces equipment and curriculum designed to teach children the fundamentals of golf. Each semester, an outstanding Health and Physical Education intern receives $3,000 in golf equipment (enough equipment to teach 48 students) to take with them as they begin their career as a Health and Physical Educator in the public schools.

COE Gives the HPE SNAG Award

The SNAG Award is given each semester to one outstanding HPE (Health and Physical Education) intern. One HPE intern each semester receives a Starting New at Golf (SNAG) All Ages Golf Kit donated by an international company. The kit consists of enough equipment for 48 students, including rolling bags, clubs, balls, targets, training tools, launch pads, curricula with lesson plans, and an instructional video. This equipment retails for $2,949.00. The process for winning the award is: -Students complete a unit in SNAG golf in their HPE Secondary Methods course (they do training with their peers, and then teach a golf unit in the public schools) -During full internship, students are given the opportunity to apply for the SNAG Award. The application includes a paper which highlights how they would use SNAG to improve their community and their school. A winner is selected, and the award is presented at the COE's final intern seminar each semester.

Fall 2012 SNAG Award winner is Kassie Kerns, Kassie's award was presented by Dr. Vanessa Anton, on December 10, at NSU-BA at the final intern seminar. Kassie has been an outstanding HPE teacher candidate, and has represented the College of Education and Health and Physical Education well. Some of her other contributions and accomplishments include two state presentations at the Oklahoma Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (OAHPERD), at UCO, Fall 2012, and she also won both the student outstanding speaker and outstanding poster awards at NSU's Undergraduate Research Day in the Spring of 2012.

Paris Named Department Chair of Psychology and Counseling

Early last semester, Dr. Kenny Paris, Associate Professor, was named Chair of the Department of Psychology and Counseling. Paris joined the NSU faculty in August, 1996 as an Assistant Professor. He served as Faculty Council Vice-President from 1999-2001 and Faculty Council President from 2001-2003. He has served as the Program Coordinator for the M.S. Counseling Psychology program for the past 3 years. Dr. Paris earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Oklahoma and is a licensed psychologist.

Dr. Stephan Sargent and Mrs. Meagan Moreland presented findings of research at the annual convention of the International Reading Association in San Antonio, Texas. Their program was entitled, “Motivational Methods in the Reading Clinic.”

Dr. Stephan Sargent was an external evaluator for St. John County’s (Florida) accreditation visit of the Southern Association of Colleges and

The College of Education, Psychology and Counseling Department, and NSU Substance Abuse Program were well represented by faculty member Dr. Todd Gomez’s founding of the 1st Annual Broken Arrow (BA) Substance Abuse Awareness Information Session, Screening, and Referral four-hour afternoon event held on April 23rd from 1:00-5:00 p.m. The event itself, an outgrowth of a faculty-sponsored Healthy Campus Initiative grant proposal subsequently funded by NSU Student Health Services involved six of Dr. Gomez’s graduate practicum students and counselors in training (CITs). Tables were set-up within the first-floor main lobby area of the BA Administrative Services Building to capture student traffic. Refreshments were further procured and produced insomuch to voluntarily entice students to seek out informational pamphlets on alcohol and drugs with information disseminated, a secondary volitional screening for individual and familial alcohol misuse was afforded participants, as was a counseling self-referral mechanism implemented on-site. Resultant outcomes included eighty student participants provided awareness brochures ranging from Mixing Energy Drinks and Prescription Medications with Alcohol, Women and Native American Alcohol Misuse, Acute Alcohol Intoxication aka Alcohol Poisoning, as well as Collegiate Binge Drinking and National Alcohol and Drug Referral Resources be it for the individual student him/herself or student-counterparts experiencing Alcohol or Drug misuse or secondary effects issues among others. The projected and aspirational goals for serving students were met and exceeded whilst the conversion ratio of screening to referral was directionally appropriate –each boding well and suggestive of a successful healthy campus initiatives event piloting. Dr. Gomez expresses appreciation to student attendees, faculty colleagues who supported the endeavor such as Drs. Steven Byers, Kurt Choate, Kelly Dunbar-Davison, Yung Fei Kao, Marilon Morgan, and Cynthia Naff, collaborator and adjunct faculty Mr. Brent Musick BA Student Development Counselor, Ms. Jessica Robert’s campus-life outreach emailing, Mr. Jason Jessie’s college relations recruitment incentives, Ms. Whitney Arbaugh’s housing and residence life giveaways, as well as Ms. Libby Roger’s budgetary funding and logistical support - each of whose efforts were invaluable and benefited programming efforts undertaken. As a student-centered academician, practitioner, and supervisor, Dr. Gomez found it a profound privilege to conjoin efforts that had a direct and major impact on BA students’ lives vis-à-vis information and knowledge sharing at minimum and screening and counseling referral at best in what he envisions will become a transformational and sustainable pro- gram on the BA campus in terms of Substance Abuse Preventive and Interventive efforts for the foreseeable future and beyond.

Library

Tom Rink:

• Tom Rink was appointed to the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Oklahoma Library Association.
• Tom Rink serves on the Program Advisory Council for the Criminal Justice Program of Vatterott College (Tulsa Campus). 
• Tom Rink was appointed to the Finance Committee of the Special Libraries Association.
• Tom Rink began my term as the Membership Chair for the Leadership and Management Division of the Special Libraries Association.
• Tom Rink continues his second year as a member of the Annual Conference Program Planning Team for the Leadership and Management Division of the Special Libraries Association.

Tom Rink continues his second year as Secretary and Membership Chair for the Oklahoma Chapter of the Special Libraries Association.

On February 8, 2013, Tom Rink presented @ the Leadership Summit of the Special Libraries Association (He was on a panel entitled: "Investing in Ourselves: Finding Inspiration").

On June 9, 2013, Tom will present @ the Annual Conference of the Special Libraries Association (He is on a panel entitled: "The Experts Are In! One-Off Career Advice").

On June 10, 2013, Tom will present @ the Annual Conference of the Special Libraries Association (He is on a panel entitled: "Rising Stars and Fellows Roundtable").

Kathleen McCay, NSU Libraries Instructional Designer, joined the Comp I and II Textbooks Committee to facilitate recreation of the libraries’ Citation Station APA/MLA styles infographic for use in the second edition of NSU’s Department of Languages and Literature: Engaging Self in Critical Inquiry and Analysis, Dr. Mary Stanley, Editor, which is slated for publication in July 2013.

Sarah Burkhead Whittle spoke at the Community of Oklahoma Instruction Librarians (COIL) annual conference at Langston University in Langston, OK, on July 12. She presented on the Whodunit Library Online Detective Game, developed in fall 2011 by several NSU librarians. The Whodunit game is an interactive learning opportunity in Blackboard that includes course modules, clues, and videos designed to teach information literacy skills and effective ways of using the NSU Libraries. If you are interested in having your students participate in the Whodunit game, contact Sarah at ext. 3262 or burkhead@nsuok.edu

Linda West and Susan Woitte are attending the Oklahoma Library Skills Initiative Assessment Workshop on June 20-21, 2013 at Langston University. The Oklahoma Library Skills Initiative Project is a collaborative grant involving academic libraries located within seven of Oklahoma's institutions of higher education.

Karl G. Siewert taught two six-hour classes on Computers and Electronic Resources for the Oklahoma Department of Libraries’ Institute in Public Librarianship. Students were employees of libraries from around the state working toward a professional certification (see http:// www.odl.state.ok.us/servlibs/certify.htm). The class on April 9 was at Hardesty Library in Tulsa. The second class was in Weatherford, OK, and had to be rescheduled from April 10 after ice storms knocked out power to the city on May 2.

Linda West attended a workshop "Toolkit for Demonstrating the Value of Libraries" on May 17th at Oklahoma Christian University sponsored by the Oklahoma Council of Academic Library Directors and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

College of Science and Health Professions

John Diamantopoulos presented a talk "An Interesting Student-Posed Question in Linear Algebra" at the OK-AR MAA Section Meeting in Stillwater, OK on April 4-6, and will have an article appear in their Electronic Proceedings. John was also invited to preside over a section of talks "Classroom Notes" at the annual section meeting.

John Diamantopoulos attended the 25th Annual ICTCM (International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics) in Boston, MA on March 20-23. John presented a talk "A Few Innovative Uses of the iPad for the Educator: Inside the Classroom and Out" and will have an article appear in the 2013 Electronic Proceedings of the ICTCM.

John Diamantopoulos was the recipient of a $10,000 EPSCoR Summer Grant. John will collaborate on the project with Dr. Alberto Striolo from the University of Oklahoma in the school of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering.

John Diamantopoulos collaborated with Dr. Cynthia Woodburn, Pittsburg State University on an article "Maya Geometry in the Classroom" and submitted it for publication.

Ms. Deborah Hyde presented a poster at Oklahoma Research Day on March 8th in Edmond, OK. The poster was titled: "Comparing Student Satisfaction Between Online and Blended (Hybrid) courses.

John Diamantopoulos recruited and organized a group of nine NSU students to attend the Oklahoma-Arkansas Mathematical Association of America annual section meeting in Stillwater, OK and participate in the student competitions on Thursday, April 4-Saturday, April 6. Three NSU teams competed in Math Jeopardy on Thursday evening and an individual integration bee on Saturday morning. John helped organize and was instrumental in leading the Math Jeopardy competition.

Team 1: Connor Allen, Joshua Killer and Skylar Wapato

Team 2: Ryan Berkley, Taylor Pride, and Abraham Middleton

Team 3: Philip Halpern, Taylor Mur- ray and Shanna Vice

Dr. Jude Abia completed the review for the Journal of Chromatography A.

Dr. Jude Abia had a paper accepted for publication in the BioResources journal. The paper is entitled: Development of Polyoxometalate-Ionic Liquid Salts for Processing of Cellulosic Biomass. This work was completed with contribution from NSU undergraduate student Nicholas Hall and graduate student Rashad Ismayilov.

Dr. April Adams and Dr. Pamela Chris- tol were Exhibitor’s at the National Science Teacher Association meeting in San Antonio Texas, April 10-14.

Dr. Jody Buckholtz assisted Onen Rhoades (a Sequoyah middle-school student) silver plate some glass bowls for his National Indian Science fair project.

Dr. Buckholtz assisted in the Leadership Tahlequah tour of the Science lab facility.

Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo organized and started the “Biology and Chemistry Seminar Series” at the Broken Arrow campus in January 2013. In the spring semester there are four speakers visiting NSU-BA. All the speakers are from various universities in Oklahoma and are experts in the field of Biology and Chemistry.

Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo gave a presentation at the Science seminar series at TCC's southeast campus on October 10, 2012. The title of the talk was “DNA replication and cancer”.

Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo and three NSU students attended the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences Technical meeting on November 9, 2012 at Edmond, OK. Two of her students, Chance Hendrix and Brandy Fultz gave a talk at the meeting in the Biomedical category while a third student, Ian Schalo presented a poster at the meeting. Ian won the “Best of Academy” award for his presentation.

Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo and three NSU students, Chance Hendrix, Brandy Fultz and Drew Breedlove, attended the Oklahoma Research Day at Edmond, OK on March 8, 2013. All the three students presented research posters at the meeting.

Dr. Pamela Christol presented a workshop in collaboration with Dr. April Adams and Ms. Jordan Collier, B.S.Ed. Honors graduate, at the National Science Teachers Association Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, April 10-14.

Dr. Heather Fenton presented a poster on “Social integration through a student organization to support student success in a part-time practical nursing program” at the 13th Annual Nurse Educator Institute Apr 15-16, Branson, MO. She additionally was Chairperson of the CPR and First Aid Skills competition at the Oklahoma HOSA State Leadership Conference, April 11-12.

Karl Kruczek submitted a conference pa- per proposal to the American Educational Studies Association titled "The Emporium Model for Mathematics Education: A “Fad” that is the Polar Opposite to Dialogical Education?"

Dr. Tiffany Maher was awarded the 2013 Circle of Excellence Award in Teaching.

Dr. Diana Mashburn presented “Self efficacy, self reliance, adherence to self care, and glycemic control among Cherokee with Type 2 Diabetes” at the 21st Annual Nursing Excellence in Leadership and Evidence -Based Practice Conference in Fayetteville, AR on April 8.

Dr. Kathi McDowell attended Oklahoma Research Day on March 8, 2013 at the University of Central Oklahoma. She brought 27 genetics students. They displayed 6 posters representing team projects on BioInformatic related analysis of disease genes.

Dr. Kathi McDowell attended a meeting of the External and Internal Advisory Committee and Campus Coordinators meeting for the Oklahoma NSF-STEP on March 8, 2013. She presented the report for Northeastern State University’s program.

Dr. Marvita McGuire presented about a Medical Laboratory Science career to the Tahlequah Pre-Professional Health Club on April 11. Dr. McGuire additionally presented about the NSU MLT to MLS Transitional Degree Program at the Oklahoma Society of Clinical laboratory Science and American Medical Technologist combined State Meeting.

NSU Math Clinic teacher, Ms. Jennifer Martin, is the 2013 Jack L. Haney Service Award recipient. She is the student of Dr. Martha Parrott, Director of the NSU Math Clinic, who nominated Jennifer for the award. 

In 2012, Ms. Molly Crosby was the Jack L. Haney Service Award recipient, also nominated by Dr. Parrott and one of her Math Clinic teachers. Both ladies are recognized for their servant hearts and life-long passion for reaching out to others.

NSU-BA was privileged to be the host for the 2013 DaVinci Spring Invitational Forum on April 12th. Faculty from both public and private institutions of higher education from around the state gathered to discuss two relevant topics: Assessing Creative Learning Outcomes and Increasing Higher Education Completions Rates Through Transferable General Education. Dr. Martha Parrott was the on-site coordinator for the DaVinci Forum. She is also a DaVinci Fellow and currently serves on the DaVinci Institute Executive Board.

Dr. Spence Pilcher gave an oral presentation at the American Chemical Society pentasectional meeting in Tulsa.

Three of Dr. Spence Pilcher’s research students presented posters at Oklahoma Research Day in Edmond.

Dr. Mark Paulissen presented a paper entitled: "GROWTH RATES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN GECKO, [HEMIDACTYLUS TURCICUS], IN SOUTHWESTERN LOUISIANA / LAS TASAS DE CRECIMIENTO DEL GECO DEL MEDITERRÁNEO, [HEMIDACTYLUS TURCICUS], EN EL SUROESTE DE LOUISIANA" at the 60th Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Association of Naturalists Meeting held in Lake Charles, Louisiana from April 4-7. He also chaired a session on Amphibian and Reptile Biology.

Ms. Sallie Ruskoski presented about Co-infection of Tick Borne Diseases in Hunting Hounds at the Oklahoma Society of Clinical laboratory Science and American Medical Technologist combined State Meeting. Ms. Ruskoski was also selected for a third place outstanding graduate presentation award at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Missouri Valley Branch of ASM.

Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand announced the award of five years initial accreditation of the Master of Science in Nursing – Education by the Board of Commissioners, National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission. Dr. Van Nostrand and Ms. Charlotte Vaughn, Director of the Associate Degree Nursing Program at Connors State College co-hosted the Annual Joint Nursing Advisory Meeting on April 5. Dr. Van Nostrand chaired two annual clinical planning meetings for the Greater Tulsa Area, and met as a member of the Clinical Hub taskforce.

Dr. Kevin Wang was warded the 2013 Circle of Excellence Award in Research.

At the 2013 OKLAHOMA RESEARCH DAY, total 20 students (1 graduate, 1 research in Biology and 18 undergraduates) from Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang's lab and classes attended the conference. 27 posters were presented. All the students enjoyed the research day.

The Pre-Professional Health Club in Broken Arrow had several guest speakers at meetings recently. Theresa Foster related information about the MLS internship program at St Francis and Dr. Marvita McGuire described the MLS program at NSU. Dr. Michelle Abreham informed the club of her experiences applying to optometry schools and her practice. Traselynn Anderson, Pharm. D., described the application process for pharmacy school. She also related the variety of jobs available to pharmacists. Dr. Sue Woods is the sponsor of the PPHC.

Dr. Sue Woods attended the Missouri Valley Branch Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology held at OSU-Tulsa on April 4-5.

Dr. April Adams contributed an article entitled, “Using Rubrics to Measure Student Learning: An Example” in the January/February Center for Teaching and Learning Newsletter.

Dr. Jody Buckholtz is an advisor for the Indigenous Scholar Development Center.

Dr. J. Hill and Dr. Jonathan Fisher. Diet analysis of black bass in the Illinois River. Oral presentation delivered on Feb 16, 2013 at the Great Plains Fisheries Student Colloquium at the University of Oklahoma Biological Station, Lake Texoma, Oklahoma.

Dr. Tiffany Maher presented "Soil Health: Minerals" at the Cherokee County Food Policy Council Market Producer workshop.

Dr. Diana Mashburn (Nursing) and Dr. Ron Schaefer (Speech-Language Pathology) were selected as NSU Centurions for 2013.

Dr. Judith Melvin, OT Program Director, was one of many to thank NSU alumni Jesse and Marilyn Gailey for a generous gift of $200,000 that will support a multifunctional living skills teaching laboratory on the Muskogee campus.

Ms. Sallie Ruskoski and Dr. Marvita McGuire presented posters at the Clinical Laboratory Educator's Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri on February 14-16, 2013.

Ms. Sallie Ruskoski was awarded the Oklahoma State University Women's Faculty Council Research Award.

Dr. Kevin Wang contributed a book chapter titled “Innate immunity in plants: the role of antimicrobial peptides” in Antimicrobial Peptides and Innate Immunity, by Springer Publishers, USA.

Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang hosted Tulsa Area Bioscience Education and Research Consortium (TABERC) meeting on Feb. 27 at NSU- BA campus.

Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang and Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau submitted a research manuscript "Toothpick genetic transformation on cotyledons of tobacco seedlings with medium or water-prepared Agrobacterium culture" to the Peer-Reviewed Journal: Plant Cell, Tissue and Organs. It is under review process. Three former NSU students, Erica Alonzo, Lindsey Brennan, Barbara Hoffman, and current M.S student Mona Easterling were credited authorship.

Dr. Frank Yuan-Yeu Yau contributed a book chapter titled “The application of site-specific recombination systems for biosafety and genome manipulation in the production of transgenic plants” in Transgenic Plants: Recent Developments, by NOVA Science Publishers, Inc., New York, USA.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document by the 15th of the month for the next month’s issue.

If you have any questions, please email Susan Marrs at perrysu@nsuok.edu. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

Business & Technology

“Kasky v. Nike: Lurking First Amendment Time Bomb for Marketers?” by Dr. Michael Landry was accepted for publication in the summer edition of the Atlantic Marketing Journal. The article discusses how a California Supreme Court ruling puts businesses at risk of false advertising if they defend themselves against accusations without proving the accusations are false.

From the NSU supply chain management program, eight students graduated or were close to graduating and were listed in the graduation ceremonies program in the Spring, 2013, semester. All those seeking jobs within the industry were successfully placed. One of them is working for Premier Shipping, another continues at AEON Industries, one student completed an internship and was offered a permanent position at Premier Shipping. At Lynnco two of our graduates were hired, another was promoted to supervisor, and a third was offered a permanent position following an internship. Meanwhile, two NSU students currently intern at Lynnco and a previous NSU supply chain graduate was hired by SLW of Sallisaw. In addition, several of our fairly recent graduates have advanced to positions where they are able to influence hiring of other NSU grads.

College of Liberal Arts

Criminal Justice professor Dr. Mike Wilds was selected as one of 166 individuals representing 114 countries to discuss criminal justice issues that are international in scope at the International Police Executive Symposium hosted by the Budapest National Police in Budapest, Hungary. Wilds' paper and presentation, “Media Response to the Fort Gibson School Shooting,” was part of a panel on international school shooting incidents. In September, Wilds presented a paper on “Cell Phone Privacy” to the Payne County Bar Association, and his article, “Congressional Relations in the Military” was published in the Encyclopedia of Military Science by Sage Publications during the summer.

Social Work instructor Carolyn Cox will be presenting at the Rocky Mountain Educational Research Association Annual Conference (RMERA) Oct. 24, 2013,at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. Her co-presenters are Katie Majestic and Mel France and the title of the presentation is "Commuter Students’ Perspective of Institutional Support."

In the spring 2013 semester, students from Geography assistant professor Dr. Christine Hallman’s Weather & Climate course learned more about tornadoes, flooding, collection of weather data, and analysis of radar at the Tulsa National Weather Service. Service Hydrologist, Nicole McGavock, provided a variety of hands-on learning experiences and answered student questions. This was an incredible opportunity to see weather in action and learn from an expert.

Spanish professor Dr. Donna Shelton and Mr. Caleb Allison of Westmoore High School conducted a two-day technology workshop July 25 and 26 for the Oklahoma Foreign Language Teachers' Association. Held at Oklahoma City University, the workshop featured hands-on sessions on web-based tools such as Google Forms, Padlet, and ThingLink; tablet apps for language learning; and the K-12 social learning platform Edmodo.

This summer Dr. Hallman and three NSU students taught twelve 4th graders from Grandview School how to use GPS units. The activity required students to do some geocaching where they went on a treasure hunt to discover the locations of fourteen coins from a variety of countries. Although it was warm outside, students had a wonderful time learning how to use geospatial technology.

Social Work associate professor Dr. Virginia Whitekiller has been appointed to serve on the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute Advisory Committee and joined other representatives at a national planning meeting in Washington, DC, September 16-17.

Dr. Cowlishaw gave a presentation entitled "Introduction to the Film and Fiction of India" at the Tahlequah Public Library on September 17

Dr. Brian Cowlishaw was named "District Teacher of the Year" by the Muskogee Area Education Consortium.

This summer Communication assistant professor Dr. Sydney Yueh published an article "Gender in the Cultural Context: A Case of Studying Sajiao in Taiwan" in the Italian-English bilingual academic journal Ricerche di Pedagogia e Didattica (Journal of Theories and Research in Education).

A paper written by Political Science associate professor Dr. Dan Savage and assistant professor Dr. Jeonghum Min, “Voting Behavior in the 2012 Elections: Top-Down Realignment in Eastern Oklahoma,” based on exit polls conducted during the November 2012 election, will be published in Oklahoma Politics Vol. 23 in November. Students Kaitlan Beasley and Kristina Pilcher, who helped to gather and code the data, are listed as co- authors. Savage, Min and Beasley will present the paper at the Oklahoma Political Science Association conference at the University of Oklahoma in November.

This summer, Art associate professor Lance Hunter received the Thomas Betts Memorial Award for "Fabric of Dreams" (pictured to the right) in the 43rd International Exhibition of the Louisiana Watercolor Society in New Orleans. He also received a second Place award in the National Watermedia Oklahoma exhibition held at the IAO Gallery in Oklahoma City. His work was published in the catalogs for both exhibits.

This summer Communication assistant professor Dr. Sydney Yueh published an article "Gender in the Cultural Context: A Case of Studying Sajiao in Taiwan" in the Italian-English bilingual academic journal Ricerche di Pedagogia e Didattica (Journal of Theories and Research in Education).

College of Science & Health Professions

Dr. April Adams, Dr. James Hicks, Dr. Jessica Martin, and Dr. Sophia Sweeney had a paper presentation entitled, “NSU-CAPA: A Professional Development Program to Increase the Number Teachers Certified in Chemistry and Physics,” accepted by the Association of Science Teacher Educators International Conference to be held in San Antonio, TX in January 2014.

Dr. April Adams was NSU coordinator for five Math and Science Partnership grant proposals. Three of the proposals were funded. During the fall semester, NSU will partner with Jay, Liberty, and Kansas Publics schools to provide professional development.

Dr. April Adams, Ms. Deb Hyde, Dr. Mark Paulissen, and Dr. Sue Woods completed the CTL 1003 Online Educator Certificate Level 1 course.

Dr. April Adams, Dr. James Hicks, Dr. Jessica Martin, and Dr. Sophia Sweeney provided professional development for 20 science teachers during the Chemistry and Physics Academy for one week in June. The program is funded by a two-year Improving Teacher Quality Grant for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

Dr. Dragos Albinescu gave an invited presentation titled "1alpha-Hydroxyvitamin D5 and Cancer Chemo- prevention" at the University of Bucharest, College of Chemistry, on June 18th, 2013.

Dr. Jody Buckholtz hosted the PI and Program Managers from Oklahoma State University on May 16. They met with Dr. Venneman, Dr. Jackson, and Dr. Turner about the future goals of the OKLSAMP program. She has also been working on the end of the year data report.

College of Business and Technology

Dr. Michael Landry, professor of marketing, participated in a webinar August 20 entitled "Academic video at the Tipping Point," based upon a white paper from University Business regarding how video will become as commonplace as text in presenting information.

College of Liberal Arts

Communication studies instructor Kristopher Copeland successfully completed his dissertation on September 23, 2013. His dissertation is titled "There Were High Hopes and High Projections": Examining the Design of the Arkansas Lottery Policy Design.

Theatre faculty Chris Miller, Scott Pursley, and Dr. Robyn Pursley aided in the Oklahoma premiere of an original Cherokee musical Nanyehi: Beloved Woman of the Cherokee, which was produced by the NSU College of Liberal Arts, the Sequoyah Institute‟s Galaxy of Stars, and the Cherokee Nation. The production was presented for the Cherokee National Holiday at the Center for Performing Arts.

Theatre faculty Chris Miller, Scott Pursley, Dr. Robyn Pursley, and Tim Saucier presented a panel discussion titled Using Drama to Address Societal Issues at the Oklahoma Speech, Theatre and Communications Association annual conference in Norman, OK. NSU Theatre students also participated in a presentation of a reader‟s theatre piece related to the topic.

Theatre assistant professor Chris Miller's play, Home: A Dog's Tale was published by Heartland Play in Summer 2013.

Theatre assistant professor Scott Pursley received the Ruth Arrington Outstanding College Theatre Educator award at the Oklahoma Speech, Theatre, and Communications Association conference in Norman, OK.

Art associate professor Lance Hunter's painting “Beneath the Surface” was selected for the National Watercolor Society‟s 2013 Members Exhibition. The exhibition was held from June 8th to August 18th at the NWS Gallery in San Pedro, California. Hunter was the only artist in Oklahoma that had work juried into this international exhibition. “Beneath the Surface” previously received a major award in the Texas Watercolor Society National Exhibition in 2012.

The competitive speech team earned 4 awards at the Crowder College October Slam Tournament. Anthony Woodall took 2nd place in After Dinner Speaking, 4th place in Impromptu, and 5th place in Persuasion. Kendera James and Molly Turner placed 6th in Duo Interpretation. Kristopher Copeland, instructor of communication studies, and Shawna Blake, graduate student, coaches the team.

Communication assistant professor Dr. Hsin-I Sydney Yueh organized a discussion panel “Learning Intercultural Communication through Ethnography: Empowering Communities through Campus Engagement” at Oklahoma Speech, Theater, Communication Association (OSTCA) on September 28, 2013 with four NSU undergraduate students, Meaghan Drumm, Brooke Hudson, Conner Schwab, and Richard Addison Williams, to discuss the usefulness of ethnography in studying cultural diversity.

Dr. Yueh presented the ethnographic assignment and its achievement. Students reported their learning journey through their ethnographic projects to demonstrate how to engage themselves more in their own community.

The NSU Theatre Company performed its annual children‟s theatre production Kung Fu Kitty, directed by Dr. Robyn Pursley, to an audience of approximately 2,500 elementary age children and their teachers at the NSU Playhouse. The NSU theatre students and faculty presented 17 performances of the production over the course of 6 days.

College of Science and Health Professions

Dr. Martha Parrott was the on-site director of the Oklahoma Geometry and Algebra Project and also provided instruction during the week-long summer professional development session directed toward high school algebra and geometry teachers. Teachers will visit NSU-BA on Saturdays during the fall and spring for follow-up training. These opportunities are made possible by a two year grant funded through the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Improving Teacher Quality - Elementary and Secondary Act.

Dr. April Adams and Dr. Pam Christol conducted a day-long workshop for Liberty Public School elementary and science teachers.

Dr. April Adams attended the Program Accreditation Committee for the Oklahoma Committee for Teacher Preparation meeting as a member.

Dr. Jody Buckholtz completed a two day training in Kansas City, MO for Supplemental Instruction.

The 19th Annual Oklahoma Louis Stokes Alliance for minority participation in STEM symposium took place Sept 21, 2013. There were 6 NSU students attending. Of those 6, 3 presented posters covering their research projects. There are a total of 11 scholars at NSU. 7 of those scholars are currently conducting research with our faculty. One scholar has just been invited to present her work at the National AISES conference in Denver, CO in November. Dr. Jody Buckholtz is the NSU Coordinator for this funded program.

Dr. Pamela Christol and Dr. Kathi McDowell represented the Department of Natural Sciences programs at the NSU/TCC Partnership Meeting on Sept 26, 2013.

Dr. Pam Christol developed a draft of the TCC Smart Choice for the Earth/Space Science Education degree.

Jessica Grout, Lori Iorns, and Jennifer Martin presented "Innovative Mathematics" with Dr. Martha Parrott when NSU-BA hosted Tulsa KIPP Academy students in August, 2013.

Karl Kruczek is a conference paper/ presentation proposal reviewer for the upcoming annual meeting of the Research Council on Mathematics Learning which will be held in San Antonio, TX February 27-March 1, 2014.

Dr. Diana Mashburn and Ms. Jennifer O'Connor, nursing, taught Adult and Child CPR to 75 Boy Scouts in Tulsa, OK on September 28, 2013.

Dr. Judith Melvin (OT), Dr. Penny Sommers (HFS), and Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand (Nursing) reviewed SmartChoice agreements and possibilities with their counterparts at the TCC/NSU Partnership meeting on September 27, 2013.

Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo attended “Eukaryotic DNA Replication & Genome Maintenance” meeting at Cold Spring Harbor, New York from September 9 to September 13, 2013. At the meeting, she was invited to host a career session for graduate students. The title of the session was “Finding the right postdoc”.

Addressing the theme of Innovative Nursing Education Strategies, Dr. Heather Fenton, nursing, presented Social Integration and Using YouTube as an Instructional Strategy at the Coaching Academy for Nurse Educators (CANE) in Drum- right, OK on July 18, 2013. Dr. Diana Mashburn, nursing, presented Increasing Online Presence: Creating Avatars and Grading Discussion Boards at CANE.

Karl Kruczek, Instructor of Mathematics, attended the OKADE (Oklahoma Association for Developmental Education) conference September 26-27, 2013 at Cameron University. OKADE provides leadership, direction, resources and camaraderie for developmental educators in the state of Oklahoma. The conference provided the participants with the opportunity to learn what other schools in Oklahoma are doing in their developmental English, reading and mathematics courses.

Dr. James Hicks prepared online learning modules for teacher participants in the NSU_CAPA funded program.

Dr. Martha Parrott has in press the chapter Turning Points: What My Students Have Taught Me about Teaching in J. Shrawder and P. Shrawder (Eds.) Moments of Clarity: An Anthology of Stories from Faculty Who Teach for Success.

Dr. Martha Parrott has been invited to present "Using Number and Operations to Discover Geometry" at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics annual meeting in New Orleans, LA in April, 2014.

Karl Kruczek attended the Math Success Group Planning Meeting at OU on September 20, 2013 sponsored by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the Oklahoma State Department of Education. The group is charged with devising a plan to improve the mathematics preparation of students entering college and to improve the effectiveness of remediation efforts.

Dr. Mark Paulissen served as a reviewer for three different scientific journals: the Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society, Zoological Studies, and the Texas Journal of Science.

Dr. Erik Terdal was the director of the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences Fall Field Meeting at Beaver's Bend State Park September 19-21, 2013.

Dr. Spence Pilcher gave an oral presentation entitled "To Blend or Not to Blend: A Comparative Study of a Blended and a Traditional General Chemistry Course" at the 246th American Chemical Society National Meeting in Indianapolis, IN, on September 8, 2013.

Dr. Mia Revels received a grant from the Nuttall Ornithological Club for $2,500 in order to continue her research on Swainson's Warblers in southeastern Oklahoma. Founded in 1873, the Nuttall Ornithological Club was the first organization in North America devoted to ornithology. During the Club‟s 125 years, its members have included the premier names in the field of ornithology, such as William Brewster, Ludlow Griscom, and Roger Tory Peterson. A primary goal of the club is to publish ornithological literature. Meetings are held monthly at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and feature speakers from all areas of ornithological expertise.

Ms. Carmen Nickel, MSN-Education student, and Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand, MSN Advisor and Chair, delivered a poster presentation, Cultural Assessment Using Symbols, at the Oklahoma Nurses Association Annual Convention in Norman, OK on October 9-10, 2013.

Dr. Steven Wilkinson, Dr. Luke Foster, and Dr. Martha Parrott participated in a two-year long process for developing the new Oklahoma Subject Area Test for the Oklahoma Elementary Mathematics Specialist certification.

NSU Libraries

Sarah Burkhead Whittle, Instructor of Library Services and Coach of the NSU College Bowl team, accompanied students Rebecca Hagan, Nicole Kirk, Reagan Whitten, and Jared Bush to their first round of the Mind Games competition on October 2. Mind Games is a way for academic trivia teams from colleges and universities across the state of Oklahoma to compete for scholarship money, sponsored by the Chickasaw Nation, OERB, and other philanthropic organizations. The NSU team matched wits against a team from Oklahoma City University, with the competition taking place at the KSBI TV studio in Oklahoma City.

College of Education

Chad Stangl, adjunct instructor for the H&K department, won the Recreation Professional of the Year award at OAHPERD, October 7, at UCO. This award is given yearly to a recreation professional who serves as a positive role model in recreation, demonstrates enthusiasm in the profession; utilizes various methodologies to implement creative innovate recreation programs; and assumes responsibility for profession growth evidenced through involvement in local, state and national organizations. His award was presented by OAHPERD VP Recreation-Elect and OSU faculty member, Dr. Tyler Tapps.

The Arvest Bank team came out on top in the first annual College of Education SNAG Golf Fundraiser, held September 28, 2013, at Burnt Cabin Golf Course. The event was initiated in order to create a perpetual scholarship for COE students. Each year, proceeds from the event will go to build this scholarship. College and community members enjoyed a day of golf, food and fun. Rowdy was a big hit at the event, and COE RoboHawks built a robot, IronRowdy, to kick off the event by making the first swing of the day. Savanna Atchison and Megan Bloom, COE students are pictured with IronRowdy at the event.

Dr. Vanessa Anton, Associate Dean of the COE, won the Virginia Peter's Higher Education Award at the OAHPERD conference, October, 7, at UCO. Each year, this award is given to an outstanding faculty member in higher education who prepares Oklahoma physical education teachers; oversees, directs and/or advises teacher candidates; serves as a positive role model; plans for innovative learning; and who is active at the state, regional, and national level in their field. Her award was presented by Dr. Virginia Peters, professor emeritus, UCO.

Rob Culie, NSU HPE graduate, and teacher at the Oklahoma School for the Blind in Muskogee, won the OAHPERD Adapted Teacher of the Year Award. OAHPERD, physical education's state professional organization, gives this award each year to an outstanding adapted physical educator in the state. His award was presented by Karen Allen, fellow teacher and a long-time clinical faculty and mentor for NSU’s HPE program.

Educational Foundations and Leadership

Shannon Altom-Reed, M.S. in Higher Education Leadership graduate student, Dr. Jocelyn Payne, Assoc. Professor of Education, and Dr Susan Frusher, Professor of Education and Program Chair of the Higher Education Leadership program, have been accepted to present S.H.E. Studies at the annual Oklahoma Women in Higher Education Conference (OKWHE), Fri., Nov. 15, 2013 at the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond. The presentation is based on the research of Ms. Altom-Reed about the growing population of nontraditional female students on college and university campuses and the need for Support in Higher Education (SHE) for this group of women. The focus of the OKWHE conference is “Rising to the Challenges”.

Curriculum and Instruction

Dr. Meagan Moreland is a member of the Children‟s Museum Educational Advisory Council. She also has been named as the Social Media Director for a special interest group of the International Reading Association. Dr. Stephan Sargent also serves as the treasurer for this group. This group is named ‘Concern for Affect in Reading Education.’

The SCEC (Student Council for Exceptional Children) is hosting a workshop in special education November 2nd at the NSU-Broken Arrow Campus. Topics include individual education plans (IEP's), transition, administration, American Sign Language, and other engaging topics. Dr. Lisa Tritchler, Mr. Anthony Rothfork, Mrs. Wendy Pharr, and Dr. Lee Woods are all involved to make the event a success.

In October, Dr. Peggy Lisenbee attended the American Association of Teaching and Curriculum in Chicago with her undergraduate researcher, Calisa Hopkins, to present on their Through Their Eyes Grant. They shared the results of their adaptation of a face-to-face course into a blended format through their discussion and collaboration as the faculty and undergraduate student in a face-to-face course merging their expectations, perspectives and technological abilities. The implementation of this process was conducted by Dr. Lisenbee when she taught a face-to-face course and a blended course during the following semester. The result of comparing these two courses being taught at the same time provided interesting information. Students in Dr. Lisenbee's face-to-face course earned higher grades than their counterparts in her blended course. Students in Dr. Lisenbee's blended course interacted more often with Dr. Lisenbee through emails, phone calls and texts more often than students in her face-to-face course. Yet, for both courses, students participated in more interactive and collaborative learning activities than previous semesters, reported high satisfaction with their course and gave high evaluations to their course and Dr. Lisenbee. Calisa Hopkins commented that she was thankful for this experience since she had never ridden on a plane before or attended a national conference. Dr. Lisenbee was thankful for the insight from Calisa and the opportunity to be awarded this grant which made transitioning to a blended course format more transparent and student-driven in the process.

Dr. Kathy Hixon, H&K faculty member, won OAHPERD's highest award, the Honor Award, October 7, at UCO. This award is given each year to OAHPERD members who have shown prominence in excellence in teaching; outstanding administrative achievement; a contribution to research and professional publications; leadership in the state, district, and national professional associations; and meritorious service within the profession. Her award was presented by Donna Cobb, Associate Dean of the College of Education, UCO, and OAHPERD Convention Manager, and Dr. Bob Christenson, OAHPERD president, and faculty member at OSU.

Dr. Vanessa Anton, Associate Dean of the College of Education, participated in and moderated the panel discussion "How the Changing Landscape of Education in Oklahoma is Impacting Physical Education Teacher Education, Health, Recreation/ Leisure and Exercise Science Programs" at the OAHPERD conference, October 7, 2013, at UCO. An outstanding panel of Oklahoma educators discussed the constant changing landscape of education, including K-12 and Higher Education and the impact these changes have on our disciplines. Presenters were Dr. Pamela Fry, Provost, Oklahoma State University; Steve Lohman, Executive Vice President, Northwestern State University; John McArthur, President, Cameron University; and Dexter Marble, Vice President for Academic Affairs, USAO.

Health and Kinesiology

Undergraduate Health and Human Performance majors James Estes and Kassandra Peck won the two Student Poster Awards at the Oklahoma Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (OAHPERD) conference, October, 7-8, 2013, at the University of Central Oklahoma. Their original research was mentored by Health and Kinesiology chair, Dr. Mark Giese. He was also a co-author on their poster presentations. James Estes won $50 for his poster presentation entitled "The Preferred Method of Weight Loss Among College Men and Women Seeking to Lose Weight", and Kassandra won $50 for the poster presentation entitled "Physical Activity Patterns of Health and Physical Education Majors Compared to Non-Majors".

Dr. Kathy Hixon, Dr. Vanessa Anton, Dee Gerlach and Dr. Tia Bennett presented and led "Just Flip It: A Roundtable Discussion" at the OAHPERD convention, October 8, 2013, at UCO. The session explored methods for flipping secondary and higher education personal health class- rooms using a variety of methods, including technology.

Dr. Fife Inducted Muscogee Hall of Fame

Academic Affairs congratulates Dr. Phyllis Fife, NSU‟s Director of the Center for Tribal Studies, who was inducted into the Muscogee Hall of Fall on October 12, 2013. Dr. Fife was recognized for her commitment and service to education which includes work addressing language revitalization, cultural studies, teacher preparation, and American Indian education. Dr. Fife has authored many grants to advance American Indian education combining art and technology with knowledge of tribal culture to connect with students. Beyond her work at NSU, she has served the Muscogee Nation to design education programs for children and youth. Dr. Pamela Fly, Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs, commented, “NSU is so pleased that Dr. Fife‟s contributions and service to students has been recognized. She is much too humble to brag on her accomplishments, but the difference she makes in the lives of students is lasting. NSU is fortunate to benefit from Dr. Fife‟s knowledge, expertise, and leadership.”

Committees

Dr. John Diamantopoulos is the chair of the Faculty Development Committee, FDC which includes representatives from each college, the Library and Faculty Council. The committee accepts applications for travel funds from faculty every month, meeting on either the first or second Tuesday of each month. To be considered, an application must be complete in the office of Academic Affairs before the final business day of the month preceding travel but preferably at least 30 days in advance of the start of travel.

Faculty members are limited to a maximum total of $600/$800 or $1000 per academic year (depending if travel is limited to in-state/out-of-state or international) and must be matched from their college by at least 25% of the requested amount from FDC. A current list of committee members, meeting dates/application deadlines, application forms, guidelines and helpful pointers can be found at our current website: arapaho.nsuok.edu/~fdc. Requests are funded pending available money in the appropriate college and (if necessary) priority being given to the order applications were received in Academic Affairs.

In order to make funding decisions, the committee needs at a minimum: a complete/current FDC funding request form, and a confirmation of the talk/ presentation or performance. It is always a good idea to get a flight quote from an approved travel agent early on (refer to the FDC website for the ones to use) so that you have it to turn in with your final reimbursement paperwork. If you find cheaper travel by another means and book that later, the original quote must be included to show that your booking was at a cheaper price. If in preparation of an FDC application there is any question with the process, please feel free to contact the committee chair diamantj@nsuok.edu / x3807 or any of the FDC members.

Business and Technology

A book chapter written by Mitch Ricketts (Information Systems and Technology) has been published by IGI Global Publishers. The chapter is entitled, "Making health information personal: How anecdotes bring concepts to life." It appears in the book, Packaging Digital Information for Enhanced Learning and Analysis, edited by Shalin Hai-Jew. A free, open-access copy of the chapter is accessible on the web here.

On October 29, at the Oklahoma Section of the American Industrial Hygiene Association in Norman, Dr. Mai Anh Vu Tran presented a program on NSU's Environmental, Health, and Safety Management degree. The meeting was attended by prospective students as well as safe- ty and health professionals from all regions of the state.

On October 31, 2013, Dr. Mai Anh Vu Tran invited Dr. Anna Childers, who is currently working at CH2MHill and is the Chair of the Oklahoma chapter of the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA), to come to NSU for a guest lecture. Dr. Childers‟ expertise is water quality related to gas and oil production. She also discussed A&WMA student membership, scholarships, job opportunities, and about the potential of a A&WMA student chapter at NSU.

On October 11, 2013, Dr. Vu Tran and students enrolled in the Environmental, Health, and Safety Management program visited the Covanta Energy facility near downtown Tulsa. Matt Newman, Director of Business Manager at Covanta Tulsa Renewable Energy LLC, gave a 1 hour tour of the facility. Covanta burns municipal waste to significantly reduce the mass of waste sent to landfills and generates steam for generation of electricity. For every one ton of municipal solid waste is burned at Covanta facilities:

• 550 kWh is generated
• 1 ton of greenhouse gas emissions is offset
• 50 lbs of metals are recovered for recycling

College of Education

PSYCHOLOGY AND COUNSELING

Choate, K., Shuler, M., and Paris K. (October, 2013). Strategies for Assessment: Linking Standards, SLO‟s and Assessment in a CACREP Self-study. Presented at the Association of Counselor Education and Supervision National Conference, Denver, CO.

Keller-Dupree, E. A. (October, 2013). Helping students flourish: Integrating positive psychology into graduate counselor training. Presented at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision 2013 national conference in Denver, CO.

Keller-Dupree, E., Shuler, M., and Paris, K. (October, 2013). Building CACREP Friendly Syllabi. Round table discussion presented at the Association of Counselor Education and Supervision National Conference, Denver, CO.

Lenz, A. S., Keller-Dupree, E. A., Hall, M., Nesbit, E., Ogle, N., & Perepiczka, M. (October, 2013). Tackling the tenure-track: Balancing teaching, scholarship, service & collegiality. Presented at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision 2013 national conference in Denver, CO.

Shuler, M. K. & Keller-Dupree, E. A. (October, 2013). Professional development for the developing professional. Presented at the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision 2013 national conference in Denver, CO.

Meyer, G. A. (2013, October). Defining “Spirituality‟ in counselor education: Potential impact in the lives of counselors-in-training. Presentation made at the 2013 Conference of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), Denver, CO.

Wilkinson, R. T., & Meyer, G. A. (2013, October). Using technological media in data collection: Implications for qualitative research. Presentation made at the 2013 Conference of the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), Denver, CO.

Dr. Kurt Choate, Assistant Professor, was appointed to the Board of Advisors of Oklahomans for Equality. This is a two year appointment and the focus of his term will be Integrating Health and Mental Health services for the LGBTQ community.

On November 8, 2013, Dr. Paul Cooper, Associate Professor, presented a workshop titled, “Treatment of Adolescent Behavioral Problems” through CREOKS Community Mental Health Center. Sixty-five mental health professionals attended the workshop held on the NSU-BA campus.

Dr. Todd Gomez, Assistant Professor, was named President of the Oklahoma Association of Counselor Education and Supervision (OACES).

DEPARTMENT OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION

Mrs. Kelli Carney was invited by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation (OCTP) to represent NSU and serve on the Library Media Specialist Content Advisory Committee for the Certification Examinations for Oklahoma Educators (CEOE). She attended a one-half day Marker Response Review Meeting which was held August 13, 2013 in Oklahoma City. During the Marker Response Review Meeting, committee members reviewed examples of field test participant responses and selected a set of responses that illustrate each score point on the scoring scale.

Dr. Barbara Ray and Mrs. Kelli Carney represented NSU and attended the CEOE Test Development Conference in Norman in October which focused on the Passing Score Review for the new Library Media Specialist Certification Exam.

In July, Mrs. Kelli Carney helped kick off the Locust Grove Public Library‟s Summer Reading Program by teaching the first session. She taught 5-8 year olds with a focus on the theme “Dig into the Past.” Children enjoyed a book presentation and a related painting craft.

Mrs. Kelli Carney presented at the Oklahoma Educational Studies Association (OESA) Annual Meeting held in Norman on August 9th and 10th. Her paper presentation was titled Using the Discourse of the Common Core State Standards to Explore Power Structures of Practice: A School Librarian‟s Approach to Redemption.

Dr. Meagan Moreland served as a guest lecturer for a reading/literacy course at The University of Oklahoma (www.ou.edu) in November.

Dr. Stephan Sargent, Dr. Mindy Smith, and Dr. Meagan Moreland shared the findings of a research study at the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers (www.aleronline.org). The title of the presentation was, “Using a Digital Reading Environment to Impact Reading Attitude within a Reading Clinic.”

After conducting a detailed research endeavor, Dr. Stephan Sargent, Dr. Mindy Smith, Dr. Meagan Moreland, and Dr. Mary Swanson revealed the findings of the study in a presentation entitled, “Developing a Prediction Equation for a Standardized Test of Achievement.” This was shared at the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers (www.aleronline.org).

DEPARTMENT OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION

Dr. Stephan Sargent was a co-presenter with literacy professors at Southeastern Oklahoma State University (www.se.edu), sharing the findings of a research project entitled, “Outcomes Expectancy in Teaching Reading: A Study of Teachers Seeking National Board Certification.” This was shared at the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers.

Ms. Ingrid Massey is currently working with the faculty of Springdale Elementary in Tulsa providing on-site literacy coaching and staff development. Topics addressed include literacy assessments and differentiating instruction in order to meet the needs of all learners. Ms. Massey will continue working at Springdale throughout the school year.

Dr. Cindi Fries, Assistant Professor and Faculty Sponsor of Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) and Dr. Peggy Lisenbee, Assistant Professor and Faculty Sponsor of KDP, took a group of three undergraduate students to the KDP Convocation in Dallas, Texas, in October 2013. KDP is a national honor society for education professionals and undergraduate students maintaining a 3.25 GPA. This convocation was attended by members from 45/50 states and from seven countries. Two students, Rachel McElroy, and Sara Trott, presented a poster to attendees on a Literacy Alive Event conducted last spring in the Broken Arrow Reading Clinic for families of struggling readers. Le Lai attended as the KDP President and delegate for our chapter at the national meetings held during Convocation. Dr. Fries and Dr. Lisenbee presented workshops and networked with other educators.

Lisa Stafford, a School Counselor at Rogers College Junior/High School, was recently named School Counselor of the Year by the Oklahoma School Counseling Association. Lisa completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in the College of Education at NSU.

Educational Foundations and Leadership

During the 45th annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Education Research Conference on October 25, hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma, Dr. Jim Ferrell presented a paper on "A Retrospective Look at Magnet Schools and Desegregation" and Dr. Ken Hancock presented research on "Oklahoma's Common Schools' Fund Balances: A Twelve Year Review".

NSU Libraries

In September, BA Instructional Librarian and Interlibrary Loan Coordinator Karl G. Siewert attended the Northwest Interlibrary Loan and Resource Sharing Conference in Portland, OR. He was granted a scholarship to attend. At the conference he networked with ILL professionals from across the US and Canada and learned strategies and best practices to improve ILL service at NSU. He will be sharing this knowledge with other Oklahoma Librarians by presenting at the OLA Regional Meeting, held in Tahlequah on November 14.

Five Library faculty and staff from the Technical Services Department attended a workshop to learn how to apply new cataloging rules. Linda West, Harriett Hobbs, Jackie Schumaker, Jeannie Pry, and Jenifer Rogers attended “Bee Informed, Taking the Sting out of RDA” on October 25, 2013. The workshop took place in Oklahoma City and was sponsored by the Oklahoma Library Association, Technical Services Roundtable.

College of Science and Health Professions

Dr. April Adams reviewed a Secondary Science Education program for NSTA/NCATE.

Dr. April Adams, Dr. Jim Hicks, and Dr. Jessica Martin and teachers Jeri Goodnight, Whitney Greenwood, Christine Hellard, Stephanie Landreville, and Carley Moore presented a workshop entitled, “Teaching Chemistry and Physics” at the Oklahoma Science Teacher Association Meeting at the University of Central Oklahoma on November 2, 2013. The presentation was part of the NSU Chemistry and Physics Academy program which is funded by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

Dr. April Adams, Dr. Jim Hicks, and Dr. Jessica Martin presented workshops for the STEM Academy at the Gordon Cooper Technology Center in Shawnee on November 14, 2013. The STEM Academy is part of the Jay Public Schools Math and Science Mini-Grant. NSU is a partner in this grant.

Dr. April Adams participated as a member of the Program Accreditation Committee, which is a committee of the Oklahoma Commission on Teacher Preparation.

Dr. Dragos Albinescu attended the 2013 Arkansas INBRE Research Conference, at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, on October 18-19, 2013 and presented a poster titled, “Progress Towards the Synthesis of 1α-Hydroxyvitamin D5 ”.

Dr. Pamela Christol led students on a field trip to the Rogers County Conservation District Education Reserve October 4, 2013.

Dr. Pam Christol and Dr. Martha Parrott conducted a day-long workshop for Liberty Public School elementary and science teachers. The workshop was part of a Liberty Public Schools Math and Science Mini-Grant. NSU is a partner in this grant.

Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo attended the Arkansas INBRE Research Conference at University of Arkansas, Fayetteville in October, 2013. She also judged undergraduate and graduate student presentations. In addition, three of her students Chance Hendrix, Brandy Fultz and Stephen Cates presented research posters at this meeting. Stephen Cates was awarded second place in the biological sciences category.

Ms. Sydney Dorrough and Mr. Troy Lee, OT faculty, attended the American Occupational Therapy Association's Education Symposium in Atlanta Georgia, October 4-5, 2013.

John Diamantopoulos, Associate Professor of Mathematics, was accepted to present a talk "Techniques from the Ancients for Verification of Right Angles" at the 2014 Joint Mathematics Meetings of the Mathematical Association of America and the American Mathematical Society.

John Diamantopoulos was accepted to present a computer workshop on "Creating Animated Gifs for Classroom Use" at the 2014 International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics.

Dr. Patrick Harrington, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, gave a presentation at the Oklahoma Academy of Science, 102nd Annual Technical Meeting, on November 8, 2013, at Cameron University in Lawton. The presentation was titled "Android Apps and AI: Undergraduate Research Projects."

Dr. Jim Hicks presented a poster about the use of electronic student response systems at the American Association of Physics Teachers Arkansas-Oklahoma- Kansas meeting.

Mr. Troy Lee (OT) attended the 19th Annual National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy Conference on Occupational Therapy State Regulation on November 8-9, 2013 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Ms. Carmen Nickel, MSN-Education student, and Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand, MSN Advisor and Chair, delivered a poster presentation, Cultural Assessment Using Symbols, at the Oklahoma Nurses Association Annual Convention in Norman, OK on October 9-10. Dr. Diana Mashburn, Dr. Jodi Gooden, Ms. Jennifer O'Connor, and Ms. Staci Quant also attended the convention.

Dr. Mark Paulissen and Co-Authors Harry Meyer and Tabatha Hibbs had a paper accepted for publication in the SOUTHWESTERN NATURALIST. The title of the paper is: "Movement patterns and sociality of the Mediterranean gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus in southwestern Louisiana." The paper will come out in the December 2013 issue of the journal.

Dr. Spence Pilcher along with Chemistry Club members, Emily Ediger and Lauren Thompson, gave recruiting presentations and performed demonstrations to two AP chemistry classes at Tahlequah High School.

Dr. Spence Pilcher along with Chemistry Club president, Douglas Thompson, gave a recruiting presentation and performed demonstrations to the chemistry classes at Kansas High School and Oaks High School on Mole Day (October 23).

Dr. Spence Pilcher and retired professor Dr. Mike Condren performed science demonstrations in the foyer of the Science Building as part of National Chemistry Week.

Dr. Penny Sommers, Human and Family Sciences Professor; Sheree Whiteside, HFS Instructor; and Kristine Abbott, HFS senior student, presented "College Students Perspectives of Cohabitation" at the National Council of Family Relations annual meeting November 5-9 in San Antonio. The original research was conducted in the 2013 spring semester.

Dr. Penny Sommers (HFS) and Sheree Whiteside (HFS) attended the Child Development and Early Childhood Education Summit hosted by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

Dr. Penny Sommers (HFS) attended the November 1, 2013 TCC child development advisory board meeting.

Dr. Erik Terdal organized the Applied Ecology & Conservation section of the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences annual technical meeting.

Dr. Erik Terdal submitted an abstract on, "ORGANIZING CAMERA TRAP DATA ON TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE: A CASE STUDY FROM BELIZE" with a graduate student and an undergraduate student to the Applied Ecology & Conservation section of the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences annual technical meeting.

Dr. Erik Terdal submitted an abstract on, "Mesocarnivore mammals in the Mountain Pine Ridge of Belize: Report from a camera trap survey in 2010" to the Applied Ecology & Conservation section of the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences annual technical meeting.

Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand was elected to another two year term as the Region 3 Representative and member of the ONA Board of Directors.

Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand, Nursing, attended the Indian Capital Technology Center‟s Licensed Practical Nursing Program‟s Advisory Committee meeting and the ICTC Annual Advisory Dinner on October 29, 2013.

Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand, Nursing, attended the Future of Nursing – Education Workgroup (for Oklahoma) meeting in Oklahoma City on October 30, 2013.

Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang presented "Using Plant to Produce Pharmaceutical Drugs" at TCC on October 29, 2013.

Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang presented "Low Cost Clot-dissolving Protein from Transgenic Plants for Stroke Treatment" for OK-INBRE External Advisory Committee Meeting on October 17, 2013.

The NSU-BA Pre-Professional Health Club had Lindsey Kilpatrick from OSU COM as a guest speaker at the meeting on October 10. She discussed the opportunities at the College of Osteopathic Medicine. Two former NSU- BA students who are now OMSIs were also guests. Dr. Sue Woods is the sponsor of the PPHC.

The NSU-BA Pre-Professional Health Club provided three booths at the Fall Festival on October 24, 2013. Dr. Sue Woods is the sponsor of the PPHC.

Dr. Sue Woods attended Technology: Making the Connection Workshop on October 25 in OKC. This workshop included presentations on flipped learning, assessing student data and legal issues concerning student data. It was sponsored by the OSSBA.

John C.D. Diamantopoulos, Ph.D, Associate Professor of Mathematics was present at the ribbon cutting ceremony of NSU‟s new event center on November 16th 2013.

December Deadline:

Due to the holidays, the deadline for submissions of articles to the next article will be due no later than December 13th. The newsletter will not be published until after we return in January.

If you have any questions, please email Susan Marrs at perrysu@nsuok.edu. Any information sent after this date will not be in the following newsletter.

Business and Technology

The year 2014 represents an important milestone in U.S. aviation history and NSU has a link to it. January 20th of this year marks the 40th anniversary of the first flight of the F-16 aircraft which was designed by General Dynamics Corporation and manufactured at its facility in Fort Worth, Texas. The F-16 was designed to correct many of the deficiencies in U.S. fighter aircraft which had been discovered during the Vietnam conflict. At the time, this aircraft program was proclaimed “The Arms Deal of the Century.” The aircraft incorporated a number of advanced technological features such as a side-mounted control stick, frameless bubble canopy, fly-by-wire controls and a seat which reclines 30 degrees to enable the pilot to tolerate high G forces. In addition to manufacturing taking place in the United States, major components of the aircraft were initially produced in four other countries – Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. Later, production also took place in Korea and Turkey. Since production aircraft were first delivered in 1978, over 4500 F-16 aircraft have been manufactured and flown by the United States Air Force and the air forces of twenty-five other nations. The 138th Fighter Wing of the Oklahoma Air National Guard, based at Tulsa Air National Guard Base at the Tulsa International Airport, transitioned to the F-16 in 1993 and still flies it today. The F-16 is universally recognized as one of the most successful programs in aviation history.

The NSU link to this era is that three faculty members in the College of Business and Technology were employed at General Dynamics on the F-16 program early in their professional careers. Dr. Ed Bellman, Assistant Professor of Technology, joined General Dynamics in 1979 and served in the Material Department. Dr. Art Gilbert, Professor of Accounting, joined the firm in 1978 upon leaving the United States Air Force and served as a senior financial analyst in the Financial Analysis and Planning Department. Dr. Fritz Laux, Professor of Economics, joined General Dynamics in 1985 as an operations research analyst in the F-16 Advanced Programs Office.

Just as the three professors traveled different paths to General Dynamics, their careers afterwards also took different paths. Ed Bellman remained at General Dynamics, retiring in 1999. Art Gilbert left the firm in 1981 to join Transcontinental Energy Corporation as Manager of Operations Analysis, later becoming Controller – Contract Drilling Operations. Fritz Laux left Fort Worth in 1989, transferring to another General Dynamics division.

Shortly thereafter, he left the company to return to graduate school. Eventually all three earned their doctorates and entered academia, ultimately joining the College of Business and Technology at Northeastern State University.

College of Education

NSU Counseling Program Pursuing National Accreditation

The Master of Science in Counseling program is diligently working toward national accreditation by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). This process began in October, 2011 when four faculty members (Drs. Rick Williams, Michelle Shuler, Bea Keller-Dupree and Kenny Paris) attended a CACREP self-study workshop in Nashville, TN. Since that time, the graduate Counseling faculty has made necessary curriculum changes and has completed the first draft of their self-study. The self-study document will be reviewed by a consultant, Dr. Jerry Trusty at Penn State University, in the next several weeks. Next, Dr. Trusty will make a visit to NSU campuses in Tahlequah and Broken Arrow (Spring, 2014). The Department hopes to have the final draft of the self-study submitted to CACREP by August, 2014 and to host a CACREP site-team later next fall. This is a tremendous undertaking and the faculty in the Department has worked tirelessly to achieve this important accreditation. The faculty are most appreciative of the support of several NSU administrator’s including, Dr. Steve Turner, President, Dr. Pam Fly, Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Debbie Landry, Dean of the College of Education, Dr. Tom Jackson, Dean of the Graduate College and Dr. Vanessa Anton, Associate Dean of the College of Education.

On November 16 early childhood pre-service teachers attended "A Morning with Amelia Gambetti," International Liaison and Pedagogical Consultant, Reggio Children at Riverfield Country Day School. Students also had an opportunity to tour classrooms and visit with teachers--some who are NSU graduates.

Dr. Stephan Sargent and Dr. Meagan Moreland presented the results of clinical research at the Literacy Research Association’s Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas. Their presentation was entitled, “Clinical Teacher Preparation that is Transformative.”

Dr. Stephan Sargent served as the discussant at a research presentation entitled, “Advanced Literacy Practices: From the Clinic to the Classroom.” The session was conducted at the annual conference of the Literacy Research Association in Dallas, Texas.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a word document by the 15th of the month for the next month’s issue. If you have any questions, please email Susan Marrs at perrysu@nsuok.edu. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter

Grant News

Award Name: Celebration of Teaching 2013-2014

Award Dates: 09/01/13 - 06/15/2014

Award Amount: $7,000

Funding Agency: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education

Project Director: Dr. Deborah Landry

Purpose of Award: To fund a one day event showcasing the profession of education, which features keynote speakers and hands-on workshops. Attendees include public school students, teachers, higher education faculty, and honored guests.

Award Name: TURN- Providing College Connections 2013-2014

Award Dates: 09/10/2013 - 06/14/2014

Award Amount: $8,500

Project Director: Dr. Allyson Watson

Purpose of Award: The project will provide K-12 students from urban school districts exposure to college and to provide on-going, in-depth activities to enhance student interest and dedication leading to obtaining teacher certification and entering the teaching profession.

Funding Agency: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE)

Award Name: American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES - EPSCoR 2013-14)

Award Dates: 09/01/2013-11-30/2013

Award Amount: $9,384

Project Director: Dr. Phyllis Fife

Funding Agency: Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma EPSCoR

Purpose: To assist students with travel expenses to attend the AISES Region Conference

Award Name: Liberty Public Schools Math & Science 2013

Award Dates: 09/01/2013-12/06/2013

Award Amount: $11,100

Project Director: Dr. April Adams

Funding Agency: Liberty Public Schools

Purpose: Northeastern State University will provide professional development to Liberty Public School teachers in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) disciplines. This will result in better equipped teachers at the K-12 levels.

Award Name: Jay Public Schools Math & Science 2013

Award Dates: 08/16/2013-11/30/2013

Award Amount: $2,439

Project Director: Dr. April Adams

Funding Agency: Jay Public Schools

Purpose: Northeastern State University professors will inform a life and environmental STEM unit in Jay with Cherokee Nation to be shared statewide. NSU will participate in a STEM Academy at Jay Public Schools in October 2013 and in Shawnee, OK in November 2013.

Award Name: Tracking Swainson's Warbler 2014

Award Dates: 09/16/2013 - 08/01/2014

Award Amount: $2,500

Funding Agency: Nuttall Ornithological Club

Project Director: Dr. Mia Revels

Purpose of Award: This project continues a long-term study by investigating the changes in territory location of the Swainson's Warbler males in the Little River National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oklahoma.

Award Name: OTRC-Ok Tobacco Research Center 2013-2014

Award Dates: July 1, 2013 - June 30, 2014

Award Amount: $77,000

Project Director: Dr. Fritz Laux

Funding Agency: OUHSC-Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center

Purpose of Award: OTRC Scholar appointment will promote Oklahoma-based scholarly research on tobacco control and addiction. Dr. Fritz Laux will be involved in the production of academic research and will also advise state, local and tribal officials on issues of tobacco policy making.

Award Name: Cherokee Language Degree Program 2013-2014

Award Dates: 10/01/13 - 09/30/14

Award Amount: $100,000

Project Director: Dr. Ben Kracht

Project Faculty Coordinator: Mr. Wyman Kirk

Funding Agency: Cherokee Nation

Purpose of Award: To continue funding of an undergraduate program that will produce teachers who are fluent in speaking, reading, and writing the Cherokee Language.

College of Science and Health Professions

Dr. Martha Parrott and her student Jennifer Martin have been awarded a service learning grant through the Center for Teaching and Learning which will provide new teaching materials for NSU Mathematics Clinic Teachers. The NSU Mathematics Clinic began in the fall of 2009 and continues to provide service to students in our communities.

Dr. Sallie Ruskoski from MLS attended a NAACLS workshop for accreditation in Chicago on November 8, 2013. She also spoke to MLT students at TCC about transferring to NSU. She was a guest lecturer at OSU Stillwater to a senior level microbiology class about the Medical Laboratory Science field.

Support Staff at NSU participates in Administrative Support Professionals’ Academy

The Center for Excellence in Transformative Teaching and Learning sponsored the Annual Administrative Support Professionals’ Academy at the Tulsa Community College’s downtown campus on October 24, 2013. This was in conjunction with National Secretary’s Week. Several support staff from Northeastern State were in attendance. Those who attended were Robin Hutchins and Julienne Mann-Stocks, President’s Office, Monica Barnett, Academic Affairs, Phyllis Wilmon, College of Liberal Arts, Terri Mattes, Business and Finance Administration, Jeanna Wing and Lereen Neugin, College of Education, Alaka Back, Oklahoma College of Optometry, Melissa Parton, Communication and Marketing, Shellie Scheu, Business Affairs, Ann McCoy and Melissa Moore, Information Technology. All received a certificate of completion and .8 units of continuing education credit. We would like to thank NSU’s administration for supporting this opportunity for professional development at the staff level.

College of Business and Technology

Dr. Michael Landry, professor of marketing and coordinator of the supply chain management program, and Dr. Ed Bellman, assistant professor of technology, met with Eileen Bradshaw and Ryan Walker of the Eastern Oklahoma Food Bank in November to discuss joint programs. They agreed to initial use of the industrial-scale food bank warehouse in Tulsa as a laboratory and service learning facility for NSU classes in lean manufacturing, purchasing, materials handling, and marketing. They also discussed possible future supply chain management electives in warehouse management and non-profit food bank management. On November 19, Dr. Landry joined members of the Tulsa Chapter of the National Association of Purchasing Management in volunteer work at the food bank, processing food donations for regional distribution. Area companies like Wal-Mart and Reasor‟s donate food products with packaging that is damaged to the point of being undesirable to consumers, but which are otherwise fine. In fact, one of the NAPM‟s duties November 19 was ensuring secondary packaging was sealed and safe.

Dr. Michael Landry, professor of marketing and coordinator of the NSU supply chain management major, and Dr. Ken Jones, assistant professor of management, on October 23 took 17 undergraduate students to visit two Wal-Mart distribution centers in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Dr. Landry developed a business plan outline for handouts and PowerPoint slides that were translated into Spanish for several Northwest Arkansas business people making presentations at the Alianza 323 business conferences in Guadalajara, Mexico, in November.

Dr. Landry attended a webinar “Promoting Excellence Online” presented by Academic Partnerships Faculty eCommons December 12, 2013.

College of Liberal Arts

Five criminal justice faculty published articles in the Contemporary Law and Justice Journal Volume 13, a peer-reviewed journal published by NSU‟s Crime and Justice Department.

Dr. Frank Zeigler, “The Digital Revolution of Crime Detection: Police Drones and Rapid DNA”

Dr. Pam Mertens, “The Prevalence and Impact of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder on Incarcerated Females”

Dr. Mike Wilds, “Privacy Implications: Cell Phone Searches Incident to an Arrest”

Dr. Adam Langsam, “Trafficking in the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children: A Criminal Justice and Public Health Issue”

Dr. Buster Hall, “Rescue Operations in the Aftermath of an EF-5 Tornado” 

Associate Professor of English Dr. Brian Cowlishaw won first place in the 2013 Creative Writing Contest of the India Association of Tulsa. He was honored in November at the Diwali Cultural Festival and his article is published in the journal Darpan.

Communication Assistant Professor Dr. Hsin-I Sydney Yueh won the Outstanding Dissertation Award for Language and Social Interaction Division (LSI) of National Communication Association, November, 2013 in Washington D.C. The dissertation is titled, “The Tactic of the Weak: A Critical Analysis of Feminine Persuasion in Taiwan.”

Art Associate Professor Lance Hunter's painting titled "Rayna" (pictured left below) received the Charles and Ruth Sanderson Memorial Award in the Kansas Watercolor Society National Exhibition 2013. This was the second highest award presented at the exhibition. The KWS exhibit was held at the Wichita Center for the Arts from November 22 - January 5. The KWS National Exhibition 2013 featured more than 85 of the finest watercolor paintings in the nation, chosen by national watercolorist, Paul Jackson. Hunter had three paintings selected for the exhibit.

Theatre Assistant Professor Timothy Saucier was the head adjudicator for The Arkansas Thespians' One-Act Preliminary Festival in Russellville, AR on October 24-26, 2013. Two NSU Theatre graduates, Amanda Tharp and Callie Harris, accompanied him as adjudicators. In total, eight high school theatre companies from Northwest and Central Arkansas were adjudicated and provided with written critiques of their one-acts and recruitment materials for NSU Theatre Company.

NSU Speech and Debate team won 6 awards at the Green Country Swing Tournament hosted by Tulsa Community College. Kendrea James took 1st place in Prose during the first tournament and 3rd place in Prose in the second tournament. Ben Hanneman took 6th place in Informative speaking. Anthony Woodall took 4th place persuasion, 6th place After Dinner Speaking, and 6th place Extemp. The team is coached by Dr. Kristopher Copeland, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies.

Assistant Professor of History Denis Vovchenko has had two recent publications. “Triumph of Orthodoxy in the Age of Nationalism: the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Sublime Porte, Russia, and Greece (1856-1890),” is in Modern Greek Studies Yearbook, 28/29 (2012/2013): 255-266. “Creating Arab Nationalism? Russia and Greece in Ottoman Syria and Palestine (1840-1909),” is in Middle Eastern Studies, 6, 49 (2013): 901- 918

Assistant Professor of Music Dr. Jeffery Wall presented a pedagogical interest session for choral conductors and educators at the Arkansas Music Educators Association fall conference in Hot Springs November 7-8. The session was titled, "The 3Ms: Movement, Metaphor, & Musicianship."

Assistant Professor of Music Dr. Anne Watson has been selected to perform as a soloist and with her trio, Ironwood, at the 2014 ClarinetFest© convention, in Baton Rouge, LA. There were over 200 applicants and less than one-third were chosen to participate.

College of Science and Health Professions

Dr. April Adams reviewed two Secondary Science Education programs for NSTA/NCATE.

Dr. April Adams, Dr. Pamela Christol, and Dr. Martha Parrott conducted a professional development workshop for teachers as a part of the Liberty Public Schools Math and Science Mini-Grant.

Dr. April Adams consulted on STEM curriculum for the Jay Public Schools Math and Science Mini- Grant.

Dr. Mark Paulissen co-authored two notes on whiptail lizard biology in the December 2013 issue of HERPETO- LOGICAL REVIEW. One note was on Differential rates of Hybridization between closely related species; the other note was on the Diet of the Hybrids. Both notes were co-authored with Stanley Trauth (Arkansas State University), James Cordes (LSU-Eunice) and James Walker (University of Arkansas).

Dr. Mark Paulissen and NSU Fish & Wildlife graduate Brian Becker conducted a course on "Snake Identification" as part of the 'Women in the Outdoors' Program at Lake Tenkiller State Park in November.

Dr. Sue Woods attended the OSU-COM Pre-Medical Advisor Conference on Nov. 8th. OSU faculty and administrators described the current curriculum changes at OSU-COM. Speakers from Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the University of Maryland discussed the National Experiment in Undergraduate Education (NEXUS).

College of Education

Curriculum and Instruction

Dr. Anthony Rothfork has published an article entitled, “Creating a ‘Healing Environment’ for Mr. Small Small” on the webpage of CPI (http://www.crisisprevention.com). CPI is an international training organization committed to best practices and safe behavior management methods that focus on prevention. Through a variety of specialized offerings and innovative resources, CPI educates and empowers professionals to create safe and respectful work environments. This enables professionals to enrich not only their own lives, but also the lives of the individuals they serve.

Jessica Breske, won the 2014 CEC Outstanding Undergraduate Award, from the Council for Exceptional Children. Jessica is the past President of the Student Council for Exceptional Children (SCEC) Chapter at NSU. Dr. Lisa Tritschler and Mr. Anthony Rothfork, Assistant Professors of Special Education, are faculty sponsors for the Tahlequah Chapter of SCEC.

COE Edubots Qualify for 2014 World Championship

NSU's Edubots competed at the Vex Robotics Competition on Saturday January 11, 2014, at Sequoyah High School. For the Vex game "Toss Up," NSU's team crafted two robots for the matches. Of the four colleges competing, NSU was the only college of education. The other three were engineering schools from Edmond OK, Austin TX and Houston TX. NSU placed third in the 22 match tournament. Each match consisted of one minute of automatic programming (Autonomous) and then one minute of driver control. The Edubots also won the Judges Award of Excellence. The team's coaches were Dr. Renee Cambiano, Barbara Fuller, and student coach, Savanna Atchison. The Edubot team members were: Brandon Baldridge, Megan Bloom, Mike Cambiano, Laura Myers and James Townsend.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean‟s office. Please submit information in the form of a Word document by the 15th of the month for the next month's issue. To avoid confusion, please wait until you have all the information for your article before emailing it so we won't have to decide which is the corrected copy.

If you have any questions, please email Susan Marrs at perrysu@nsuok.edu. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter

College of Science and Health Professions

Dr. Diamantopoulos presented the talk "Techniques from the Ancients for Verification of Right Angles" at the 2014 Joint Mathematics Meetings of the AMS/MAA.

Dr. Suneeti Jog submitted a manuscript entitled, “ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK TO ESTIMATE BENCHMARK BIOCRITERIA FOR AQUATIC AND WETLAND SITES,” to Ecological Applications with co-authors Jason T. Bried, Andrew R. Dzialowski, and Craig A. Davis.

Accreditation Site Visitors from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) will visit the Speech-Language Pathology Program on February 24-25. Dr. Karen Patterson and faculty spent a number of months preparing for this site visit.

Dr. Michael Shaughnessy attended the 75th annual meeting of the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference held in Kansas City, MO. He presented a paper entitled, "GIS-based predictive habitat modeling for blacktailed prairie dog colonies (Cynomys ludovicianus) in southwestern North Dakota".

Dr. Erik Terdal drove to his field research site in Belize, Central America, towing a boat on behalf of a colleague from another University. The SUV and boat were left in the Maya Mountains for the wildlife re- search they conducted. Dr. Terdal flew back to Oklahoma with photographic data about jaguars for use by his graduate student and undergraduate research students.

Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand, Dr. Diana Mashburn, Dr. Jodi Gooden, Dr. Heather Fenton, & Ms. Staci Quant from Nursing, Dr. Sallie Ruskoski from MLS, and Ms. Sydney Dorrough from OT served as judges at the Muskogee Science Fair on February 12 in the Civic Center.

Dr. Jude Abia was an invited guest for the 'career day' at Bishop Kelly High School in Tulsa on 1/28/2014. He spoke to a group of chemistry students on possible careers in Chemistry and also highlighted some research projects currently undertaken in the chemistry department at NSU-BA.

Dr. April Adams presented a paper entitled, “NSU-CAPA: A Professional Development Program to Increase the Number Teachers Certified in Chemistry and Physics,” with co-authors Saeed Sarani, Dr. Sophia Sweeney, Dr. Jessica Martin, and Dr. James Hicks at the Association for Science Teacher Education Conference in San Antonio, TX.

Dr. Cindy Cisar was notified by the editor of the journal Water Environment Research that her manuscript "Antibiotic Resistance in Aeromonas Upstream and Downstream of a Water Resource Recovery Facility" has been accepted for publication. Five former NSU undergraduate students are co-authors on the publication.

Ms. Cassandra Crawford-Ciglar, Director of the Dietetics Program, recently submitted a Self-Study to the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND) in preparation for the accreditation site visit scheduled for May 4-5.

Dr. John Diamantopoulos represented the Faculty, as the faculty council member of the stage party for the SHP/Education graduation ceremony in December.

Dr. Diamantopoulos was a judge in the Mathematical Association of America Undergraduate and the Association for Women in Mathematics Poster Competitions at the 2014 Joint Mathematics Meetings of the AMS/MAA.

Dr. Diamantopoulos participated in the Cengage Pre-Calculus ThinkTank at the 2014 Joint Mathematics Meetings of the AMS/MAA.

Dr. Diamantopoulos participated in the Cengage Focus Group on the Future of College Algebra at the 2014 Joint Mathematics Meetings of the AMS/MAA.

Dr. Diamantopoulos chaired a session of talks "MAA General Contributed Paper Session on History and Philosophy of Mathematics" at the 2014 Joint Mathematics Meetings of the AMS/MAA.

College of Liberal Arts

Communication instructor Kristopher Copeland will be attending the Central States Communication Association conference in April to present his competitively selected paper "There Were High Hopes and High Projections:" Examining the Social Construction of Target Populations in Lottery Legislation.

English associate professor Brad Montgomery-Anderson presented 'Archiving in the classroom: Linking Native language research with Native language learning' at the Stabilizing Indigenous Languages Symposium in Hilo, Hawaii. Dr. Montgomery-Anderson's article 'Macro-scale features of school-based language revitalization programs' appeared in the new issue of the Journal of American Indian Education.

Theatre assistant professor Timothy Saucier attended the Arkansas Thespian Festival in Conway, AR along with NSU Theatre graduates, Amanda Tharp and Callie Harris. Each adjudicated competitive events and presented workshops at the festival in January.

Saucier has been named Theatre Division Chair of the Oklahoma Speech Theatre and Communications Association.

Spanish professor Dr. Donna Shelton and Rutgers professor Dr. Celinés Villalba are collaborating on a university-level intermediate Spanish textbook to be titled En tus manos. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. will publish the textbook in fall 2015.

The NSU Speech and Debate Team, led by communication instructor Kristopher Copeland, won 3 awards at the Kansas Wesleyan University Tournament. Kendrea James took 1st place in Prose and 3rd place in POI and Anthony Woodall placed 2nd in Extemp.

Political Science assistant professor Dr. Cheryl Van Den Handel will give a talk on "U.S. Trade Policy" at Muskogee Library on Tuesday, March 4, 2014 at 7 p. m. in the Grant Foreman Meeting Room. It is one of the Great Decisions Lectures funded by Muskogee Public Library Hultquist Trust.

Tulsa senior and NSU Fulbright scholar Abbey Haughey won an Outstanding Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Performance Award, which included a free trip to Hong Kong. Haughey is NSU's first U.S. student scholar. She will spend a calendar year in Taiwan as an ETA. She chose Taiwan because of some knowledge of Mandarin Chinese gained as a foreign exchange student.

College of Education

Dr. Allyson L. Watson has been selected to serve as Consulting Editor for the Journal of Educational Research.

The Journal of Educational Research is a leading nationally recognized peer reviewed journal which serves academic research to a broad audience in higher education. The JER contributes research to the American Educational Research Association.

Jericho Hobson, Instructor in the Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership, presented a poster session for international educators at the Hawaii International Conference on Education in Honolulu, Hawaii January 4-8, 2014. The session was titled, "Change is Right Next Door" focusing on the importance of establishing community partnerships in Urban educational systems.

Dr. Carl Farinelli, Professor in the Department of Educational Foundations and Leadership, presented at the Hawaii International Conference on Education in Honolulu, Hawaii January 4-8, 2014. The session was titled, The Fifth Curriculum: Seeking a Balance in Public Education.

Education Professionally Immersed in Co-Teaching:
The EPIC program offers senior Teacher Education majors at Northeastern State University (NSU) an opportunity to work with and learn from highly qualified and dedicated Clinical Faculty (master teacher) in a public school setting. Authentic classroom experiences will assist candidates in becoming skillful, creative teachers capable of assuming full responsibility for the direction and guidance of the learning activities of students.

The pilot program of EPIC was introduced for the fall 2013/spring 2014 academic year. Nine candidates have spent approximately 1100 instructional clock hours working side-by-side with a master teacher. Using the co-teaching model candidates have been able to plan, create, and implement lessons that enhance student learning and at the same time provides each self- confidence and assurance that will help prepare them for the career they have chosen.

Lauren Gilstrap, Elementary Education major states that “when I started EPIC, I was not confident [but having nearly seven months] in the school has been exciting. I feel like a pro.”

Sarah Hollabaugh, Elementary Education major states that “having the opportunity to be in the classroom for an entire year [will give me] more ideas to put into my back pocket that will help as I begin my career.”

The EPIC program will be in full operation fall 2014. Teacher candidates will be able to select from Broken Arrow, Owasso, Sallisaw, Stilwell, Tahlequah, Tulsa, or Union public schools to complete this exciting and rewarding program.

Grant News

Award Name: 2014 Symposium on the American Indian (42nd)
Award Dates: 01/09/2014-04/30/2014
Award Amount: $5,000
Project Director: Dr. Phyllis Fife
Funding Agency: Oklahoma Humanities Council
Purpose of Award: Funds for support of the 42nd Annual Symposium on the American Indian to be held April 7-14, 2014. The support for this program helps benefit the academic community as well as the general public of the State of Oklahoma. This year's theme will be "Thriving Nations - Resilient Peoples". The topic will stimulate renewed perspectives on the self-determination of tribal peoples and inspire innovative thought on ways to secure and sustain well-being now and in the future. All events are open to the public and free of charge.

Award Name: INBRE – Equipment 2014
Award Dates: 12/11/2013-03/31/2014
Award Amount: $39,941
Project Director: Dr. Pam Hathorn
Funding Awardees: Dr. Joseph Ahlander, Dr. Chris Burba, Dr. Sapna Das Bradoo, Dr. Rui Zang, Dr. Cindy Cisar
Purpose of Award: To purchase the following equipment: Promega CloMax Multi+ Detection System, High Pressure Demountable Liquid Cell Motorized Micromanipulator & Controller (left-handed), PTC 1148C BioRad MJ Mini-48 Well Personal Thermal Cycler, Eppendorf Microcentrifuge
Funding Agency: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education through INBRE

Award Name: Oklahoma Small Business Development Center 20134
Award Dates: January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2014
Award Amount: $181,124
Project Director: Sharon Nichols
Funding Agency: Small Business Administration through Southeastern State University
Purpose of Award: To provide comprehensive services and resources to existing and potential small businesses in the state of Oklahoma

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean's office. Please submit information in the form of a Word document by the 15th of the month for the next month's issue. To avoid confusion, please wait until you have all the information for your article before emailing it so we won't have to decide which the corrected copy is.

If you have any questions, please email Susan Marrs at perrysu@nsuok.edu. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

ARANT NAMED PROVOST/VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Mark E. Arant as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Arant holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Alabama. His bachelor’s degree in Chemistry is from Louisiana Tech University. In addition, he completed the Institute for Management and Leadership in Higher Education at Harvard University in June 2010.

Since 2008, Dr. Arant has served as the Dean of the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith. In addition, for the past year he has served as the Interim Dean, College of Education. Some of his significant achievements at the University of Arkansas include: founding the STEM College, establishing a new faculty advising model, establishing the STEM College’s Strategic, Advancement, Marketing, Recruiting, and Master plans, initiating new College faculty evaluation and promotion models, establishing an Endowed Professorship in Engineering, raising over $1 million in external funding and equipment, presiding over a distance program (ADTEC) where the BS in Information Technology is offered to community colleges in Eastern Arkansas, introducing new curricula in several majors and minors, and initiating international and national studies courses in Belize, Trinidad/Tobago, Italy, Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and Owens Canyon, California.

Prior to his work at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith, Dr. Arant served at the University of Louisiana, Monroe, LA from August 1994 to July 2008. At ULM , he served in several capacities to include: Associate Professor in the Chemistry Department, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, and Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Arant will begin his duties on July 1, 2014.

College of Business and Technology

Dr. Jon Shapiro, professor of marketing, will conduct his sixth study abroad program to Russia in August. It’s a collaborative program with a Russian university and is the longest consecutive running NSU study abroad effort. Dr. Shapiro’s tours include having students do in-depth marketing research prior to the journey, then a comparative analysis of what students learned in the pre-trip research and what they found when they got to Russia. In the past Dr. Shapiro and his students have visited Russian special forces, old and new retail environments, and alternative energy sites. They have done comparisons between Russian marketing systems and those of India, Brazil, and the United States. The tours are enhanced by Dr. Shapiro’s part-time residence in Russia and by the practice of taking trains instead of tour buses. “The students get to meet a lot of Russian people that way,” he said.

Dr. Shapiro has had a long interest in cross-cultural research. In December, 2013 he and his wife Katerina, an NSU graduate, presented a paper entitled “Cross-Cultural Healthcare Delivery and Treatments: An Examination of Russia and the United States” at the Third Cross- Cultural Health Care Conference at the University of Hawaii Medical School in Honolulu. The paper was published in the Hawaiian Journal of Medicine and Public Policy. The project contrasts birthing and medical delivery practices within the Russian federation and the United States. That same month, Dr. Shapiro co-presented a paper “Cultural Form, a Managerial Perspective” at a conference in Antigua, Guatemala. The paper was co-authored by Gopal Iyer of Florida Atlantic University and Jon Littlefield of Dalton State College, Georgia. Also at that conference, Dr. Shapiro presented another paper entitled, “Structural Cultural Knowledge Framework: An Examination of East-West Relationship”.

Under the direction of Dr. Ken Jones, assistant professor of management, fifty-three NSU students from the Broken Arrow campus are team-teaching the fourth grade Junior Achievement curriculum on supply chain operations in twelve Tulsa area classrooms.

Dr. Michael Landry, professor of marketing and coordinator of NSU’s Supply Chain Management major, attended a February conference at the University of San Diego for directors of academic programs in supply chain management. The conference topics included issues regarding research, academic-industry relationships, corporate funding, student recruitment, and more.

In its June edition, the Journal of Transportation Law, Logistics, and Policy will publish an article by Dr. Landry and Dr. Sandy Edwards, professor of management, entitled “Blue Skies and Dollars Signs: Early Airports and the Promise of Economic Growth.” The paper discusses 1920s efforts to develop airports to avoid the economic stagnation of 19th century communities passed by new railroad construction.

Dr. Jon Shapiro also continues his research and consulting work of some sixteen years in public transit. “It marries marketing and management, I call it transformative public transit planning,” he said. Since 2001 Dr. Shapiro has been working with transit systems in Santa Maria, Livermore, and Petaluma, California.

Last year, Dr. Shapiro and consultant Joe Rye, who manages the Petaluma transit system, were the only Americans to present their research findings at a conference in Italy of UITP, (International Association of Public Transport), the global transit advocacy organization. Their efforts in transformative public transit planning helped Petaluma’s transit ridership increase by 153%. They added on-board wi-fi and are working on a phone app to help riders track the locations of buses. There also were significant increases in the Santa Maria system during Rye’s time there as manager with Dr. Shapiro’s consulting.

Increased ridership, however, has caused problems, according to Dr. Shapiro. Student riders report increased bullying, especially in middle schools, which has prompted increased collaboration with police, as well as the implementation of a zero tolerance policy and anti-bullying education.

Besides students, public transit is becoming increasingly important to senior citizens with their growing population and their issues of mobility. “Many of them give up driving or we wish certain seniors would give up driving sooner than they do,” according to Dr. Shapiro. A focus of his research has been in paratransit – on-demand vans for handicapped individuals and some seniors. “Paratransit is very expensive. We’re working to develop it. If you can’t walk you shouldn’t be using a fixed route bus, and we are looking to develop fixed routing to conform to emerging senior centers development and demand,” he said. “And there’s diversity among the elderly: a 62-year-old is different from an 86-year-old. It’s like Elvis versus the Woodstock generation.”

Dr. Shapiro and Joseph Rye have brought together both groups keenly affected by transit -- students and seniors – to develop peer training programs in schools and senior centers to teach people how to use transit systems. There is also a train-the-trainer effort being used as service learning projects in schools.

The SCMA has been organized by students Scott Whitaker and Nathan Park.

Dr. Fritz Laux, professor of economics, participated in the Tobacco Regulation Economics Working Group, January 20, 2014. This was a small meeting of public-health economists convened to prepare and disseminate suggestions and guidance aimed at helping the FDA and US Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to inform and improve the process of economic impact analysis, as it is used for the analysis of tobacco regulation. The meeting was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and co-chaired by Ken Warner (of the University Michigan) and Thomas Schelling (emeritus of Harvard and the University of Maryland).

Library

Gary L. Cheatham, Assistant Professor of Library Ser- vices, published a review of the book titled Cultural Construction of Empire: The U.S. Army in Arizona and New Mexico, by Janne Lahti. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2012), in Southwestern Historical Quarterly 117 (January 2014) 3:334-335.

Linda West, Harriett Hobbs, Jackie Schumaker and Jenifer Rogers from the Library Technical Services Department attended a full day online conference, "Is RDA on Your RaDAr?" sponsored by AMIGOS Library Services on February 20, 2014. They learned about new developments and tips for implementation of new cataloging rules. NSU's Library catalog currently contains almost 6,000 RDA records.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a Word document by the 15th of the month for the next month’s issue. To avoid confusion, please wait until you have all the information for your article before emailing it so we won’t have to decide which is the corrected copy.

If you have any questions, please email Susan Marrs at perrysu@nsuok.edu. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter

College of Science and Health Professions

Dr. Cindy Cisar in the Department of Natural Sciences submitted two grant proposals to the Oklahoma INBRE program in February. "Distribution and spread of antimicrobial resistance gene qnrS" and "Antifungal activity and cellular target(s) of modified lactoferricin peptides".

Sharon Jones, SLP faculty, successfully defended her dissertation.

Dr. Diana Mashburn, Nursing, shared program information with nursing students at the invitation of the OSUIT Student Nursing Association.

Dr. Demitri Plessas, Assistant Professor of Mathematics presented the talk "Euclid versus Lobachevsky: What Shape is Local Space?" at the Y0 Physics Seminar.

Dr. Demitri Plessas presented the talk "How Recreational Mathematics Becomes Applied Mathematics" to the Oklahoma Alpha Chapter of Kappa Mu Epsilon.

Dr. Sallie Ruskoski, Medical Laboratory Science, presented a poster at the OSU-Tulsa Research Day on February 21. She also spoke to potential MLS students at Northeastern Oklahoma and OSU-IT, and Ozark Technical Community College in Nixa, MO.

Dr. Michael Shaughnessy was approved by the ODWC for a State Scientific Collector's Permit.

The Speech-Language Pathology Program was positively assessed for reaccreditation by three site visitors.

Dr. Sue Woods attended a workshop at OSU-CHS on January 31st on learning methods for medical school presented by Dr. John Pelley from Texas Tech.

Dr. Sue Woods attended the Med-Xtravaganza at OSU Center for Health Sciences on March 8th.

Volunteers from the NSU-BA Pre-Professional Health Club assisted with the Blood Drive on February 24th. The Oklahoma Blood Institute received about 30 donations! Dr. Sue Woods is the sponsor of the club.

The Pre-Professional Health Club had two guest speakers at meetings in February. Dr. Mike Woods, Program Director of the OU Family Medicine Residency Program in Ramona, was here on February 11th to discuss medical school interviews. Monica Peterson was here on February 18th to discuss the Cleveland Chiropractic College in Overland, KS. Dr. Sue Woods is the sponsor of the PPHC.

College of Liberal Arts

In November 2013, Melina Smyres, Assistant Professor of Art, created 70 illustrations for A Life in Books. The illustrations are a combination of hand illustration, photography and digital graphics. A Life in Books is an illustrated novel that contains 101 books within it. It is essentially a book about books. The book was written and designed by Warren Lehrer. Warren Lehrer has been called “one of the most imaginative and ambitious book artists of our time.” A Life in Books has been recognized by the New York Times, Print magazine, and the Atlantic. It won best in show at the 2013 College Book Art Association Exhibition. Andrei Condrescu, poet, novelist, journalist, public radio commentator says, "A Life in Books is brilliant, beautiful and delicious for the eyes and mind.” 

The NSU Competitive Speech Team took 1st place in the Oklahoma Division of Individual Events. The team earned 10 awards total including 3rd place IE school, 2 state championships (Kendrea James-Prose & Anthony Woodall-Extemp), and were second place for the Quality Award.

Dr. Patricia Surman, Instructor of Music, is currently serving as a Fulbright Scholar in Greece, where she is conducting research on flute music by Greek composers and teaching flute at the University of Macedonia. Recently, she has had articles published in Flute Talk magazine and The FluteView. She will be featured in an interview in April’s The Flute View. She recently performed principal flute with the Tulsa Symphony along with Dr. Anne Watson, Assistant Professor of Music, on clarinet. Surman will be a guest artist at Ionian University in Corfu, where she will teach a flute class, lecture on American music, and perform alongside Reiner Kramer, adjunct instructor of music. Surman and Kramer will be performing music for flute and interactive computer at the Thessaloniki New Music Center.

The NSU Theatre Company held its annual High School Theatre Festival on February 12, 2014 on the Tahlequah campus. Over 150 high school students participated in workshops led by NSU Theatre faculty and students and then attended a matinee performance of Opal's Million Dollar Duck at the NSU Playhouse.

This semester Dr. Shannon Melody Unger, Assistant Professor of Music, was an artist-in-residence at the University of Manitoba in Canada during the month of January, presented a lecture and recital related to her dissertation on American composer Jake Heggie at the College Music Society on March 8th together with NSU faculty pianist Farren Mayfield, and was the alto soloist with the Memphis Symphony in February 2014.

Dr. Cheryl Van Den Handel, Assistant Professor of Political Science, gave a Great Decisions Lecture on "U.S. Trade Policy" at the Muskogee Library on Tuesday March 4, 2014.

Dr. Virginia Whitekiller, Associate Professor of Social Work, received federal funding from the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) for a five year period in the amount of $735,000.00. This grant will financially assist social work students who specialize in child welfare and will provide training assistance to the Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare.

Dr. Whitekiller's manuscript, "Family Group Conferencing: An Indigenous Approach to compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act" has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Public Child Welfare.

Dr. Whitekiller will serve as a panelist for the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute's (NCWWI) National Webinar Mini-Series: Traineeship Legacies and Lessons Learned, on April 22, 2-3:30 p.m.

Dr. David Linebarger, Professor of Humanities, has just published his second collection of poems, Bed of Light, with Finishing Line Press. This book also features a cover photograph by NSU's Pete Henshaw. It is available for purchase from Amazon or from Finishing Line Press.

The NSU Crime and Justice Institute in conjunction with the Oklahoma Gang Investigators Association hosted the eighth annual Gangs 101 Seminar on Friday, February 14th. The seminar was an overwhelming success with approximately 150 attendees.

Dr. Kimberly Lee, Assistant Professor of English, presented at the CCCC Convention March 19-22 in Indianapolis during the session, "Teaching American Indian Rhetorics in all Rhetoric and Composition classrooms." Lee's presentation was titled "Visual and Musical Rhetorics in the Writing Classroom."

English Education candidate Stacy Espinosa has been chosen to receive the Geraldine Burns Award for outstanding accomplishments in the field of English education and she will be recognized at a ceremony in Oklahoma City April 2. Stacy has maintained a 4.0 GPA and received glowing reports from her clinical faculty at Ft. Gibson High School. Stacy was nominated by Connie Henshaw, English Education Specialist.

NSU is hosting the Oklahoma District 8 contest of National History Day on April 1. National History Day is a nationwide program for students in grades 6-12. This year's theme is Rights and Responsibilities in History. The NSU contest began in the early 1980's under the leadership of Dr. Billy Joe Davis, Professor of History. Over 200 students from 9 area schools are competing this year. Judges for the NSU History Day contest are NSU faculty members and employees along with public school teachers, retired teachers, museum staff members, and members of the community who want to support students in their study of history. The state contest will be held on May 7 and 8 at the History Center in Oklahoma City.

NSU Master's in Criminal Justice student, and Naval Petty Officer, Alex Lauderdale honored The College of Liberal Arts and Broken Arrow faculty in the Department of Criminal Justice for their service and dedication to veteran and deployed students. On February 28, Petty Officer Lauderdale presented an American flag which accompanied him on combat missions in Afghanistan to the College of Liberal Arts. He then presented challenge coins to Criminal Justice faculty Dr. Frank Zeigler, Dr. Michael Wilds, Dr. James "Buster" Hall, and Dr. Pam Mertens. Challenge coins are small medallions bearing an organization’s insignia or emblem, and carried by its members. They are used to recognize special achievement, in this case, service to our students deployed in a combat theater.

College of Education

CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION

Dr. Mary Swanson was awarded the 2014 DaVinci Fellow Award, a statewide award which recognizes creativity and innovation among Oklahoma’s higher education faculty. Dr. Swanson teaches undergraduate and graduate coursework in reading/ literacy on the Broken Arrow campus.

Dr. Meagan Moreland, Dr. Mindy Smith, and Dr. Mary Swanson presented "Reader's Theater: An Interactive and Engaging Reading Strategy" at the 2014 Celebration of Teaching held in Tahlequah on February 20, 2014.

According to Dr. Lisa Tritchler, Special Education Professor, teacher candidates were chosen to attend the “Connecting across Cultures 3.0,” featuring guest speaker LeDerick Horne. Dana Wehde, Morgan Hitchcock, Susan Bryant, Jessica Breske, Matthew Barnett, and Amanda Jespersen accompanied by Dr. Tritschler attended the conference hosted at Oklahoma City University. While at the conference they collaborated with fellow teacher candidates from other universities and acquired effective strategies for working with diverse populations.

Dr. Denise Da Ros-Voseles, Dr. Anita Ede, and Dr. Roxanne Fillmore had an article published in Childhood Education. The title of the manuscript is, "Focus on Teacher Education: Valuing Responsive Home-School Partnerships."

Dr. Stephan Sargent, Dr. Meagan Moreland, and multiple NSU-BA Student Oklahoma Education Association (SOEA) members attended the spring SOEA Conference in Oklahoma City.

Health and Kinesiology faculty presented in Lexington, KY, at the Southern District American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance in February, 2014. Dr. Vanessa Anton, Dr. Mark Giese, and Dr. Kathy Hixon presented Differences in Sport in "Trash Talking" Among College Athletes at a Regional University. This was based on graduate student Agata Skorupska's thesis research. Dr. Kathy Hixon and Dr. Vanessa Anton also presented Traditional vs. Non-Traditional Fitness Activities for Fourth Graders. This was based on data they collected on fourth graders in physical education classes in local public schools.

The NSU Honors Program: Fostering the Scholarship of Discovery: The Honors Program at Northeastern State University offers special opportunities to students who possess high academic potential and who desire a broadly based undergraduate education with a research component. It has been under the direction of Dr. Karen Carey for thirteen years. The Honors Program curriculum is designed for students who have intellectual curiosity and the ambition and discipline to master a comprehensive education, whatever major field of study they choose. In fact, students may pursue any undergraduate degree program offered by the university while they are members of the NSU Honors Program. In many respects, the education offered through the program might best be described as that of a program set within a large comprehensive university, with students encouraged to draw freely from both the Honors Program and the university.

Students in the NSU Honors Program take several (7) of their core required general education courses in small Honors sections during their freshman and sophomore years. During the junior and senior years, Honors students are required to work under the guidance of a faculty member on an individual research project that will be presented at the conclusion of their senior year. In addition, students have the opportunity to participate in cultural events, field trips, and enrichment activities.

The ultimate goal of the program is to offer students a stimulating education in which the students themselves are active participants. Class sizes are designed to be small, intensive, and participatory. Typically, students in the lower-division honors courses will be expected to undertake writing assignments and to contribute substantially to discussions in their honors classes. Senior and junior students will also be expected to demonstrate initiative and independence as they pursue an individual research project. Such an education will not only equip NSU Honors Program graduates for success in their future professional lives, but will fit them for a reflective, deliberate lifestyle, as well as a commitment to research driven lifelong learning.

College of Liberal Arts

Dr. Mark Bighley, Professor and Chair of the Mu-sic Department was featured on the Bach Vespers series at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New York City on March 23, 2014. He performed works by C.P.E Bach, Johann Kuhnau, Girolamo Frescobaldi and J.S. Bach. He repeated the program in Tahlequah at the First United Methodist Church on March 31, 2014.

Dr. Ronald Chioldi, Professor of Music, co-authored the 10th edition of Keyboard Musicianship, Book 1, and presented a workshop about the textbook at the 2014 MTNA National Conference in Chicago Keyboard Musicianship. Keyboard Musicianship is a group-piano class, college textbook published by Stipes Publishing of Champaign, Illinois. Also this semester, he performed concerts at the University of Kentucky, Baylor University, and NSU. He coordinated the annual NSU High School Piano Festival & Young Artist Competition, and presented masterclasses to high school pianists at the University of Arkansas and NSU.

Dr. Kristopher Copeland, Instructor of Communication, presented a competitive paper regrading legislative communication and policy at the Central States Communication Association annual convention in April 2014. Additionally, NSU graduate students Elaina Ross, Tom Johnson, Jamie Shanks, Shawna Blake, and Christopher Rudick presented original research at the convention produced in Dr. Copeland's class. Molly Turner and Thomas Crowley also presented research at the conference.

Dr. Cheryl Van Den Handel, Assistant Professor of Political Science, presented "Women's Social and Political Empowerment in the MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa" at the Midwest Political Science Association April 3-6, 2014 in Chicago. Dr. Van Den Handel presented "The Global Food Crisis" for the "Great Decisions" in Foreign Policy at the Muskogee Library on April 15th.

Dr. Kathlyn Shahan, Assistant Professor of Social Work and Social Work Department Chair, attended the orientation meeting for Leadership Academy for Deans and Directors (LADD) in Ashville, North Carolina on April 9, 2014. The LADD is a leadership enrichment program for experienced university leaders that will create a learning community of agency-university partners to advance the preparation and support of an expert, culturally responsive child welfare workforce that can effectively deliver high quality services. This is a component of the $735,000.00 recent grant awarded in March to the NSU Social Work Program through the U.S. Children's Bureau's National Child Welfare Workforce Initiative Institute. Along with academic and service leadership training, the program also provides annual educational and travel stipends to eight students who are pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) with a child welfare specialization. An additional program component encompasses a formal partnership with the NSU Social Work Program and the Cherokee Nation Indian Child Welfare to enhance tribal services through the recruitment, training and retention of a diverse child welfare work-force.

Dr. Melissa Strong, Assistant Professor of English, has been invited to participate in "The Visual Culture of the American Civil War," a summer institute sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. This two-week program in July 2014 will assess how visual media, including the fine arts and photography, impact the recording and the understanding of the Civil War on both sides of the conflict. Institute members will participate in seminars led by noted historians, art historians, and archivists; take part in hands-on sessions in museums and archives; and attend new media lab workshops. Guided by a faculty team that represents the range of work in the field, institute activities will encourage further research and assist in developing approaches that use visual evidence to enhance teaching.

Dr. Christine Hallman, Assistant Professor of Geography, won the 2014 Circle of Excellence Award for Teaching.

Christopher Miller, Assistant Professor of Theatre, had his children's play, Old Sultan, accepted for publication by Heartland Plays Inc.

Three watercolors by Associate Professor of Art, Lance Hunter were selected for international exhibitions in April. "Fish Tales II" was selected for the 147th International Exhibition of the American Watercolor Society in New York City. This is the premier watercolor exhibition in the United States which ran from April 1-20th at the Salmagundi Club on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. This marks the third time Hunter's work was chosen for the highly competitive, annual exhibition. This achievement qualified Hunter to be considered for the honor of Signature Membership status with AWS, which he received from the panel of jurors. In the Watercolor Missouri International Exhibition 2014, Hunter received that exhibition's highest award, the Award of Excellence, for "A Touch of Blue". The MWS exhibition was held at the National Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri. Earlier in April, his painting "Knight Vision" was selected for the 37th International Exhibition of the Watercolor Art Society-Houston at their gallery in Houston,Texas.

During Spring Break 2014, Professor of Anthropology Dr. Ben Kracht took eight students enrolled in ANTH 4133, Field Methods in Ethnology, to New Mexico to learn more about Pueblo Indian cultures. Their assignment was to learn about the commodification of art and tourism as economic survival strategies that allow Native artists to maintain cultural traditions. Eighty percent of the Pueblo economy derives from selling art. During the week-long trip, students met with artists from Acoma, Zuni, and Santo Domingo Pueblos. They also visited with artists at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque, and the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe. On the last day of the trip students hiked the Puye Cliff Dwellings at Santa Clara Pueblo. Students presented their findings at the 42nd Annual Symposium on the American Indian, April 11, 2014.

Dr. Donna Shelton, Professor of Spanish, served as the external consultant for Southeastern Oklahoma State University's five-year review of its Spanish Bachelor of Arts degree program. Dr. Shelton presented "Storytelling with Web-based Multimedia Tools" in a focus session at the Southwest Conference on Language Teaching in Snowbird, Utah, April 24-26.

College of Science and Health Professions

Dr. April Adams, Dr. Joan E. Bell, Dr. Pamela Christol, Dr. James Hicks and Dr. Martha Parrott presented workshops at the Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teacher Association meeting on the Tahlequah campus of NSU March 29, 2014.

Dr. Cindy Cisar gave a talk entitled, "Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance Gene, qnrS2, in Bacteria Downstream of a Wastewater Treatment Plant" at the Missouri Branch and Missouri Valley Branch of the American Society for Microbiology Annual Meeting in Kansas City on April 3, 2014.

Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo reviewed two research articles for the PLOS ONE journal. PLOS ONE is an international, peer-reviewed, open access, online publication.

Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo's two students attended and present their research at Oklahoma Research day at Edmond on March 7, 2014. Also one of her student's represented NSU at the Capitol for the Research day on April 1, 2014.

Dr. John Diamantopoulos had a joint publication (with Michael Dorff and Shaina Richardson) appear in the April edition of the Notices of the American Mathematical Society: http:// www.ams.org/notices/201404/rnotip384.pdf

Dr. John Diamantopoulos presented a workshop “Creating Animated GIFs for Classroom Use” at the 2014 International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematica in San Antonio, TX on March 20-22, 2014.

Dr. James Hicks presented a talk on the "Science of Synthesizing Sound" for the NSU Physics Seminar series on March 24th, 2014.

Dr. John Diamantopoulos presented a talk “Preliminary Report on Flipping the Classroom: Abstract Algebra” at the 76th Annual Meeting of the Oklahoma-Arkansas Section of the Mathematical Association of America on April 10-12, 2014. Dr. Diamantopoulos also presided over the “Classroom Notes” session of talks at the OK-AR MAA section meeting.

Dr. John Diamantopoulos organized a group of six students to attend the 76th Annual Meeting of the Oklahoma-Arkansas Section of the Mathematical Association of America on April 10, 2014. These students participated as two teams in the Math Jeopardy Competition. All six students also participated in the individual Integration Bee competition on April 12, 2014.

Dr. Mark Paulissen co-authored a note on hybrids between two species of whiptail lizard. The note was published in the March issue of Herpetological Review. The reference is: Walker, J.M., J. E. Cordes, S.E. Trauth, and M.A. Paulissen. 2014. ASPIDOS- CELIS LAREDOENSIS (Laredo Striped Whiptail) x ASPIDOSCELIS GULARIS (Texas Spotted Whiptail). MAXIMUM BODY SIZE. Herpetol. Rev. 45: 125-126.

Dr. Mark Paulissen was awarded the Circle of Excellence Award in Research.

Dr. John Diamantopoulos helped plan, implement and moderate the first, second and final rounds of the Math Jeopardy competition at the 76th Annual Meeting of the Oklahoma-Arkansas Section of the Mathematical Association of America on April 10, 2014. In addition to the usual prizes for members of the first place team from the OK-AR MAA section, Dr. Diamantopoulos arranged for Pearson Ed. To donate 3 gift cards of $10 for each of the third place team members, 3 gift cards of $15 for each of the second place team members and 3 gift cards of $25 for each of the winning team members.

Dr. John Diamantopoulos garnered the necessary support from NSU President Dr. Steve Turner, Acting VPAA Dr. Pam Fly and Science & Health Professions Dean Dr. Pam Hathorn to offer NSU as the host site for the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Oklahoma-Arkansas Section of the Mathematical Association of America. At The section business meeting on April 12, 2014, while commending both schools (NSU and OU) on being willing to host the meeting, the Site Selection Committee ultimately picked the University of Oklahoma; since it had been a longer time since they last hosted the event.

Dr. Kathi McDowell had two research students present at Oklahoma Research Day on March 7, 2014 at UCO in Edmond. The posters were Gilling. A. and K. McDowell, 2014. Experimental Design: Determination if Rapamycin Treatment of Human Cells Enhances the Association of Sir2 and rDNA and Pahsetopah, K. and K. McDowell. 2014. Experimental Design of Lifespan Extension Involving Sir2 and Calorie Restriction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Supplemented with Resveratrol.

Dr. Suneeti Jog's research project entitled "Effects of climate variability and anthropogenic disturbance on wetland condition in Oklahoma" has been selected for Oklahoma EpScoR ROA+ funding program for $12,500 for Summer 2014.

The new Oklahoma Journal of Undergraduate Research will feature undergraduate research efforts of students in Oklahoma. Dr. Martha Parrott, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, has been appointed to the OKJUR Advisory Board working with faculty from other universities to establish the framework for this peer reviewed journal.

Dr. Martha Parrott [April 204] has published Three Lessons of Clarity, a chapter in Moments of Clarity: Anthology of Stories from Faculty Who Teach for Success, John H. Shrawder, editor.

Dr. Spence Pilcher gave an oral presentation on the preparation of 4-ethoxyphenylurea using microwave irradiation at the 247th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Dallas on March 19, 2014.

Dr. Michael Shaughnessy submitted a proposal to the NSU Faculty Research Committee in support of his ongoing research in North Dakota. He also received IACUC approval for his research on small mammals in North Dakota.

Dr. Martha Parrott presented at the 2014 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics annual conference in New Orleans, April 9-12, 2014.

Deborah Hyde participated in the Geological Society of America's South Central Section Meeting March 17-18, 2014.

Business and Technology

Dr. Jitendra Tewari, NSU associate professor of marketing, received the Best Paper of Track Award in accounting/ finance/economics at the 2014 Academic and Business Research Institute in San Antonio. His paper, “Some Parallels and Propositions from Consumer Behavior Applied to the Stock Market,” extended concepts in pricing in consumer behavior to the field of behavioral finance. Variables included stock price uncertainty, differences in investor behavior dependent on varied price review practices, and differences in investor behavior depending on the importance that investors place on recent price changes.

Dr. Michael Landry, professor of marketing and coordinator of the NSU supply chain management program, and Dr. Ken Jones, assistant professor of management, on April 9 took about forty-five graduate and undergraduate students and guests to a tour of the Wal-Mart grocery distribution center #7015 near Bartlesville. Mike Brasel, DC 7015's systems manager, organized the tour. Earlier in the semester, NSU hosted the general manager of DC 7015, Mike Cromwell, and Debra Brock, Wal-Mart's divisional human resource manager for fashion and jewelry as they spoke to Dr. Landry's Logistics and Supply Chain Management MBA class, and to the new student organization at NSU, the Supply Chain Management Association. As a result of Wal-Mart‟s recruiting efforts, which were a key reason for the visit, supply chain management major Navada Campos will soon become the NSU's first summer intern for WalMart Logistics in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Matthew Mott, NSU senior majoring in Supply Chain Management, received a $1,000 scholarship April 8 during the Tulsa Chapter of the National Association of Purchasing Management meeting on the NSU Broken Arrow campus. Representing NAPM are Mary Baker, incoming president, and Scott Mullins, current president. Mott, 24, of Broken Arrow, works in finance at Hilti and plans to graduate in December. A member of the National Honor Society, Mott received an associate‟s degree with honors in business from Tulsa Community College in 2012 and has been on the honor roll every semester at NSU.

NSU Libraries

Gary L. Cheatham, Assistant Professor of Library Services, published a review of the book titled Kansas City and How It Grew, 1822-2011, by James R. Shortridge. (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2012). In Great Plains Quarterly 34 (Winter 2014) 1:96- 97.

Karl G. Siewert, instructional librarian for the College of Education, attended the Oklahoma Library Association annual conference on April 1-2. At the conference he presented a session entitled “The State of Interlibrary Loan”, sharing with colleagues his experiences moving into academic librarianship and interlibrary loan service after 11 years as a public librarian. He also moderated a panel discussion called “Not Your Grandpa‟s Comic Books.” Four librarians (two academic and two public) talked about the challenges of collecting, cataloging, shelving and circulating bound comics and graphic novels.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean's office. Please submit information in the form of a Word document by the 15th of the month for the next month's issue. To avoid confusion, please wait until you have all the information for your article before emailing it so we won't have to decide which is the corrected copy.

If you have any questions, please email Susan Marrs at perrysu@nsuok.edu. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter.

College of Education

Dr. Debbie Landry and Dr. Vanessa Anton attended the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE) conference in Indianapolis, IN, March 1-3, 2014. They also participated in the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation's (CAEP) pre-conference workshop on February 28, 2014. This year's theme was "Taking Charge of Change."

Dr. Vanessa Anton and Dr. Lisa Tritschler attended the CAEP accreditation conference/training in Nashville, TN, March 26-28, 2014. This was the first Spring CAEP Conference since the de facto consolidation (of NCATE and TEAC) officially established the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation as the new, sole specialized accreditor of educator preparation.

Psychology and Counseling

Spering, C. C., Baker-Oglesbee, A., Cragg, K., Fowler, A., & Bean, R. (2014, April: accepted). Native American college students‟ personal growth initiative, health, and ethnic identity. Poster to be presented at the Southwestern Psychological Association‟s Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX.

Baker-Oglesbee, A., Spering, C. C., Cragg, K., Fowler, A., & Bean, R. (2014, April: accepted). Relationships between ethnic identity, health, and life-satisfaction in Native American students. Poster to be presented at the Southwestern Psychological Association‟s Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX.

Spering, C. C., Keller-Dupree, E., Baker-Oglesbee, A., & Fowler, A. (2014, April: accepted). Undergraduate psychology majors‟ involvement in research: A pilot study. Poster to be presented at the Southwestern Psychological Association‟s Annual Conference, San Antonio, TX.

Roberts, S. L., Chin, A., & Hixson, K. S. (2014, April). Promoting undergraduate professional development: The 'Psychology As A Career and Profession' course. Workshop presented at the annual meeting of Southwestern Teaching of Psychology Association, San Antonio, TX.

Curriculum and Instruction

Jessica Breske and Amanda Jespersen received NSU's Outstanding Senior Award. Both teacher candidates graduate this semester with a Bachelor's in Special Education. Jessica Breske was inducted into NSU's Hall of Fame.

Dr. Mary Swanson had the esteemed honor of being inducted as a DaVinci Fellow at the 2014 DaVinci Banquet held in the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City on March 28, 2014. This recognition is given to honor her creative models for preparing undergraduate and graduate teacher candidates for the classroom of the 21st Century. The DaVinci Institute Board of Directors recognizes creativity, broadly defined, among Oklahoma‟s higher education faculty. Acting on the premise that creative thought and insight are fundamental components of extraordinary scholarship, invention, teaching, and performance across academic disciplines, the DaVinci Institute seeks nominees whose accomplishments reflect a high degree of innovation.

Amanda Jespersen, NSU special education major, was also inducted as a DaVinci Scholar. The DaVinci Scholar Award is designed to honor pre-service teachers whose academic accomplishments and service to the university are deemed most notable. Amanda demonstrated the ability to integrate content into relevant applications through a service learning proposal that exemplified scholarship, creativity, inventiveness, sound teaching techniques, and a keen sense of responsibility.

Attending the banquet to honor Dr. Swanson and Amanda were Dr. Louis White, Dr. Anthony Rothfork, Dr. Pam Fly, Dr. Martha Parrott, and Dr. Ken Hancock.

Grant News

Award Name: Get Green for Blue Summer Academy 2014
Award Dates: January 1, 2014 - September 30, 2014
Award Amount: $10,600
Project Director(s): Dr. Kathi McDowell, Dr. Pamela Christol and Dr. Martha Parrott
Funding Agency: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
Purpose of Award: This project will continue a week-long summer academy for high school students at the NSU Broken Arrow campus. The academy will connect students to possible career paths, to their relationship with the local and global environmental communities, and to their roles as responsible stewards of the planet

Award Name: MLK Collegiate Challenge 2014
Award Dates: 09/25/2013 - 05/31/2014
Award Amount: $1,000
Project Director: Chris Adney
Funding Agency: University of Montana through the National Institutes of Health
Purpose of Award: Funds received will be used in participation of a campus and community event that focuses on a day of service for public education schools. Volunteers are placed in multiple public school campuses to collaborate with the principal or other designated representatives to assist in various service related needs.

Award Name: 2M2L Campus Community Task Force 2013
Award Dates: 08/01/2013 - 12/31/2013
Award Amount: $15,350
Project Director: Patti Buhl
Funding Agency: State of Oklahoma Department of Mental & Substance Abuse
Purpose of Award: Funding received is for use in the prevention and reduction of alcohol-related crime in university communities through evidence-based approaches that include: provision of Responsible Beverage Service and Sales training to alcohol retailers, increased alcohol law enforcement efforts, training to enhance alcohol enforcement efforts and development of a web-based training on alcohol policy.

Award Name: Native Words, Native Warriors 2014 Award Dates: 12/01/2013 - 04/30/2014
Award Amount: $1,000
Project Director: Susan Woitte
Funding Agency: Smithsonian Institute
Purpose of Award: Funding assistance for the Native Words, Native Warriors traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institute. This grant will allow NSU to develop school outreach activities in conjunction with the exhibit.

Award Name: Osage Mathematics & Science Partnership 2014
Award Dates: 02/01/2014 - 06/30/2015
Award Amount: $23,634
Project Director: Dr. Martha Parrott
Funding Agency: State Department of Education through Osage County Interlocal
Purpose of Award: Three NSU professors will take a leading role in designing a two-week summer STEM institute for public school teachers. Teachers who attend the STEM institute will gain increased content knowledge and ultimately be better prepared to help their students attain objectives set forth in the Oklahoma Academic Standards.

Award Name: American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES-EPSCoR Spring 2014)
Award Dates: 01/15/2014 - 04/30/2014
Award Amount: $5,000
Project Director: Dr. Phyllis Fife
Funding Agency: Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma EPSCoR through National Science Foundation Purpose: To assist students with the following travel expenses: AISES Leadership Conference - Albuquerque, NM March 20-23, 2014
AISES Region IV Conference - Norman, OK April 4-5, 2014
AISES Day, Symposium on the American Indian Luncheon - Tahlequah, OK April 11, 2014

College of Education

The NSU Student Government Association recognized Joyce Leggett (NSU-BA Staff Assistant) for NSUBA Outstanding Commitment to the NSU Community during the 2013-2014 academic year.

Dr. Stephan Sargent and Dr. Meagan Moreland published a research article in the April 2014 edition of Reading Psychology entitled, “Evaluating the Efficacy of Using a Digital Reading Environment to Improve Reading Comprehension within a Reading Clinic.”

Dr. Stephan Sargent, Dr. Mindy Smith, Dr. Meagan Moreland, Dr. Martha Parrott, and Dr. Pam Christol recently hosted approximately one hundred fourth grade students from Boevers Elementary School on the NSU-BA Campus. The children were able to participate in reading, science, and math activities that encouraged college and career readiness.

Dr. Peggy Lisenbee followed up with the Coweta kindergarten students by surprising them with a "College goes to Kindergarten" experience. She took 100 books and bookmarks to the Southside Coweta Elementary school for all the kindergarten students the week following their visit to NSU. The teachers expressed their appreciation of the gifts and the students expressed their interest in attending NSU in the future.

Dr. Peggy Lisenbee, Dr. Cindi Fries and Dr. Linda Wilson, KDP Faculty Sponsors, along with the KDP BA Chapter Officers, Le Lai, Rachel McElroy, Rachel Romano-Dickens, Kaitlyn Mathis and Sarah Trott initiated 110 education majors into the Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society on April 10th. These deserving students are in the top 10% of the College of Education's academic ranks which makes this a well deserved honor to become members of this international education honor society.

Dr. Farinelli and his son Matt (founder of the Austin Cobb Band) came to Kansas Elementary school for a demonstration with songs and instruments of American Song as Literature. The students absolutely loved them and talked about them for weeks. This is the article that the third grade teacher wrote for the Delaware County journal.

“On Friday, Feb. 28, third and fourth graders at Kansas Elementary School were given a glance at many diverse cultures through songs, instruments, and stories in Dr. Carl Farinelli and Matt Farinelli’s presentation of “American Song as Literature.” Students listened to the sweet sounds of the dulcimer, which is what the instrument’s name means, and learned the difference between the fish-shaped dulcimer used for church music and the hour-glass shaped dulcimer for courting. They also learned the cultural origins of instruments, including the banjo from Africa, the harmonica from Germany, the guitar from Spain, and the fiddle “from just about everywhere,” said Farinelli, jokingly. Dr. Farinelli shared many stories told through songs about character, setting, theme, and symbolism. He and his son Matt told how culture and history are passed from one generation to the next through songs, and how “many times we will listen to each other’s songs long before we will sit down and break bread together.” Article author, Suzanne Stubblefield Link to article in Delaware County Journal.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a Word document by the 15th of the month for the next month’s issue. To avoid confusion, please wait until you have all the information for your article before emailing it so we won’t have to decide which is the corrected copy.

If you have any questions, please email Susan Marrs at perrysu@nsuok.edu. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter

College of Science and Health Professions

Dr. Demitri Plessas was a judge for the Math Jeopardy Competition at the 2014 OK-AR Section Meeting of the Mathematical Association of America on April 10, 2014.

Dr. Demitri Plessas presented the talk "The Mathematics of Procedural Generation in Video Games" at the 2014 OK-AR Section Meeting of the Mathematical Association of America on April 12, 2014.

Dr. Demitri Plessas presented the talk "Generating Caves in Video Games" to the Oklahoma Alpha Chapter of Kappa Mu Epsilon on April 30, 2014.

Dr. Sallie Ruskoski is the new director of the Medical Laboratory Science Program; Dr. Marvita McGuire retired. Dr. Ruskoski was recently notified of her article “Cell Envelope Phospholipid Composition of Burkholderia multi-vorans” being published in Current Microbiology.

Dr. Sue Woods gave a presentation to the TCC SE Pre-Medicine and Science Club on April 4th. She discussed the opportunities for Pre-Professional students at NSU in Broken Arrow. Four members of the Pre-Professional Health Club accompanied her.

Dr. Sue Woods attended the Etiquette dinner sponsored by Career Services. She encouraged Pre-Professional Health students to attend.

The Pre-Professional Health Club had two meetings in April. On April 8th, several NSU-BA alumni had a panel discussion on their experiences in professional programs. On April 22nd, Dr. Diana Mashburn and Dr. Jodi Gooden discussed nursing and the NSU Nursing programs in Muskogee. Dr. Judith Melvin discussed the new NSU Occupational Therapy Program in Muskogee. Dr. Sue Woods is the sponsor of the PPHC.

Dr. Sue Woods organized two tours for NSU-BA students this month. On April 11, 8 students had a tour at OSU-CHS. On April 25, 8 students had a tour of OU Schusterman.

The NSUBA Pre-Professional Health Club was recognized as the Student Organization of the Year at the Annual Awards Banquet on April 24th. Dr. Sue Woods was recognized as the NSUBA Advisor of the Year for her efforts as the sponsor of the NSUBA Pre-Professional Health Club.

Dr. Kathi McDowell, Dr. Martha Parrott and Dr. Pamela Christol had a paper entitled “Outdoor Investigations to Connect Water to You” accepted to the Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership. The paper is anticipated to be published in the Fall 2014 issue.

Dr. Judy Melvin, Mr. Troy Lee, and Ms. Sydney Dorrough, Occupational Therapy, and OT students, hosted an OT Open House on April 21 at NSU Muskogee. Tours were given of the Gailey Family Living Skills laboratory.

Dr. Mark Paulissen has just had an article accepted for publication in the Western North American Naturalist. The article is: Paulissen, M.A., H.A. Meyer, and T.S. Hibbs. 2014. Growth rates of the Mediterranean gecko, Hemidactylus turcicus, in southwestern Louisiana. It will appear in volume 74(1) of WNAN this summer.

Dr. Cindy Cisar was awarded an OK INBRE mini-research grant for her project "Antifungal activity and cellular target(s) of modified lactoferricin peptides".

Kristin Abbott, Human and Family Sciences Senior, and Sheree Whiteside presented the poster “Cohabitation: Perspectives of Undergraduate Students” at the Annual Oklahoma Council on Family Relations Conference at OSU-OKC, March 28, 2014.

Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo attended the NSU undergraduate research day at Tahlequah on April 23, 2014. Four of her undergraduate students’ research projects (Stephen Cates, Noor Ahmed, Bobby Bezinque and Dawn Bender) were selected for poster presentation. Bobby Bezinque’s poster entitled, “A proteomic approach to identify novel interactions of Mcm10” was awarded the third place.

Dr. Heather Fenton, Nursing, conducted a poster presentation on “Service Learning” at Nurse Educator’s Institute, Branson, MO, in April 2014. She also was the Chairperson for the CPR/1st Aid Competitive Event at the Oklahoma HOSA Leadership Conference held in Oklahoma City in April 2014.

Dr. Jude Abia reviewed two articles for the Journal of Chromatography A (JCA).

Dr. April Adams reviewed a manuscript for the International Journal for Science Education.

Lea Brewer, Speech-Language Pathology Senior, received the Outstanding Research Award at Undergraduate Research Day.

Ms. Cassandra Crawford-Ciglar, Director of the Dietetics Program, and other Dietetic faculty hosted the re-accreditation site visitors May 4-6, 2014.

Ms. Deborah Hyde received a $1000 scholarship from the OSU Environmental Science Graduate Program at the annual banquet in Stillwater, OK on April 26, 2014.

Dr. Suneeti Jog co-authored a poster at undergraduate research day that won the OCASA award for the best use of statistics. The title of the poster was "Does floristic quality indicate wetland condition in Oklahoma?" Tommi Fouts, Suneeti Jog, and Jason Bried.

Dr. Suneeti Jog led a botany field trip for the Oklahoma Academy of Science field meeting at Lake Murray State Park in Ardmore, OK.

Dr. Suneeti Jog led a botany field trip for the Illinois River Bio-blitz.

Dr. Diana Mashburn, Nursing, co-hosted the Annual NSU/CSC Advisory Meeting on April 11 at the NSU Muskogee campus.

Dr. Diana Mashburn was a panel presenter at the 11th Annual Evidence-based Practice Symposium co-sponsored by OU and NSU Nursing at OU Tulsa on April 24. Dr. Van Nostrand, Dr. Fenton, Dr. Gooden, Ms. O’Connor, and Ms. Quant, all from Nursing, facilitated senior nursing students’ group podium and poster presentations.

Optometry News

Dr. Richard Castillo (NSU-OCO professor/Ophthalmologist), conducted a 2-day workshop on optometric office surgery at the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago, IL. This is the sixth year that Dr. Castillo has been invited back to Chicago to conduct his development program on optometric office surgery.

Dr. Castillo conducts a hands-on surgical workshop at the Illinois College of Optometry.

Dr. Castillo also presented four hours of continuing medical education for eye doctors at the University of Houston's program in Lubbock, TX in April.

Dr. Leland Carr was awarded the 2014 Distinguished Service Award by the Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians.

Joseph Shetler, O.D. Assistant Professor of Optometry earned Diplomat status with the American Board of Optometry. This board certification is obtained through rigorous examinations and requires the successful candidate to participate in continuing education above and beyond the level normally required to maintain licensure.

As part of the grant from CooperVision-Japan (now in its eighth year), Dr. Thomas Salmon publishes a monthly online newsletter for contact lens practitioners in Japan. The articles, in Japanese, are available at: http://coopervision.jp/practitioner/magazine

Dr. Salmon is scheduled to attend the annual Japan Contact Lens Society meeting in July 2014.

Dr. Salmon supervises 12-14 year-long optometry student research projects every year. Among the most recent projects, one was presented as a lecture at the American Academy of Optometry national meeting in October 2013, in Seattle, and twelve were presented as posters at the Heart of American Contact Lens.

Dr. Nate Lighthizer, O.D., Assistant Professor at the College of Optometry traveled to Winnipeg, Manitoba to lecture and lead workshops to the Manitoba Optometric Association. He lectured on macular OCT’s and gonioscopy, and led a 3 hour interactive workshop on gonioscopy as well. In late March, he traveled to Oklahoma City to lecture to the Oklahoma Association of Optometric Physicians (OAOP) on Judicious Prescribing of Narcotic Analgesics.

Dr. Lighthizer with Dr. Lisa Prokopich optometric professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario.

Dr. David Lewerenz received the 2014 NSU Circle of Excellence award for Service.

The Office of Continuing Education is excited to announce the first ever College Readiness Camp!

This camp is designed to equip students with the knowledge they need as they prepare to attend college for the first time. This is an opportunity for students to ask questions about processes, requirements, time frames and more. This information is crucial for preparing for college, regardless of where the student wants to go.

Date: June 12-14
Type: Residential
Location: NSU-Tahlequah campus
Age: For incoming juniors and seniors
Fee: $253
*Fee includes housing, meals and materials. This fee DOES NOT include the cost of the National ACT Test. Students must register for the National ACT Test at actstudent.org.
Registration Deadline: May 9

Students will engage in:

ACT Prep Classes and take the ACT National Test
Q&A with university departments
Conversations with current students

ACT Prep
The ACT Prep classes will cover:

• English and reading
• Math and science
• General testing strategies:
• Tips on how to best answer the questions
• Time saving techniques
• Practice test
• Concepts to expect on the test

College Experience

How do I fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)? How do I pick my classes? What are my options for getting involved?

Q&A sessions with:

• Financial Aid
• Admissions and Enrollment
• Housing and Meals
• Student Activities and Organizations
• Traditions and Attending the Games

Summer Youth Programs

This year, NSU is proud to offer a variety of camp options for students three years old through high school. This year’s lineup contains some half-day options as well as the traditional full-day camps. For more information, contact the Office of Continuing Education 918-444-4610 or ce@nsuok.edu.

Creating Works of Art:

• Printmaking
• Jewelry Making
• Arts and Crafts
• Drawing
• Still Life Painting
• Cartooning
• Illustration
• Poster Design
• Pinata Making

Outdoor Sports and Exploration:

• Organized Play
• Tennis
• Kayak
• Hiking and Biking
• Summer Fun and Fitness
• Survivor Camp

Science and Critical Thinking:

• Jr. Science
• CSI

Robotics:

• All Girls
• Basic
• Advanced
• LEGO

Music:

• Flute Workshop
• Music and Art Around the World
• Music and Art Exploration

Martial Arts

Library

Dr. Pamela Louderback received an Oklahoma Humanities Council Let's Talk About It (LTAIO) reading/discussion grant for Fall 2014. LTAIO offers more than your average book club. These programs have the added bonus of a humanities scholar to broaden discussions.

A series consists of 4-5 program sessions, each featuring a book from the chosen theme. A humanities scholar opens each session with information on the author, the context of the book, and how it relates to the theme. Participants then discuss their own thoughts on the book.

Programs and events will take place during the months of August-December 2014 on the Broken Arrow campus. See below for additional information on the theme we have chosen:

Much Depends on Dinner

Nearly every aspect of our lives affects what we eat: politics, religion, economics, geography, culture and ethnicity, aesthetics, health and personal taste. As a species, we have elevated many of our basic needs to an expression of who we are, what we believe, how we interact with our environments, and how we communicate and express ourselves. Food is no exception. The books in this series explore and elucidate many of these aspects, though not all. Along with religion and politics, food is a topic that can spark intense discussion – meat and drink to participants in Let’s Talk About It!

On April 23 the John Vaughan Library hosted a group of 2nd grade students from Coweta Elementary School. Librarians Samantha Clifford, Sarah Burkhead Whittle, and Susan Woitte, along with Library staff Amanda Chappelle and Kiley Ging helped coordinate this event. The students enjoyed having books read aloud to them, including Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type, Interrupting Chicken, The Day the Crayons Quit, We are in a Book!, and We're Going on a Bear Hunt.

College of Business and Technology

Fifty-two were in attendance April 7 for the Etiquette Dinner of Excellence and Dress to Success event of NSU’s Top of the Line Collegiate Chapter of the American Marketing Association in the Annex Room on the Broken Arrow campus.

The purpose of the event was promoting a fundraiser dinner to teach proper dining etiquette and dress to students interviewing for jobs. Proceeds from the event were designated to send chapter members to attend the 36th Annual International Collegiate Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Carly Morrisett, Chapter President, served as the Master of Ceremonies. Etiquette Presenters were Mary Walker and Sandra McGee of Sister Sippin’ Tea Literary Group, Inc. Dress to Success presenters were Jamie Burr and Paden Fergurson with Dillard’s Department Store at Woodland Hill Mall. The guests were treated to a three-course meal from Sodexo associated with tips and a handout on proper dining skills. Dillard’s provided ideas on what to wear for interviewing along with sample wearing apparel for men and women students.

In planning and organizing the event, chapter members created promotional material using posters, online social media, and personal selling to sell tickets. The chapter members were also given a goal to sell a total of 10 tickets each. This was also a learning event as collegiate chapter members utilized their marketing skills in creating an actual event which should become a part of each students resume.

Sponsors for the event included Dillard’s, Hood CPA & Associates, and the AMA Tulsa Professional Chapter.

AMA TOL Chapter consists of Carly Morrisett, president; Jordan Cook, executive vice president; Rainie Brumble, vice president; Laura Baldo, vice president, communications; Lawren Brown, vice president, membership; Sarah Brigance, vice president, advertising, and members Casey Bristow, Sanuel Kosechata, and Andrew Starnes.

Chapter advisor is Dr. Ronald Petty, NSU assistant professor of marketing.

Dr. Michael Landry, professor of marketing, and Dr. Ken Jones, assistant professor of management (not shown), were at the new Tulsa Technology campus in Owasso April 14 recruiting students to NSU’s College of Business and Technology. “We did a lot of career advising and got very positive response from students,” according to Dr. Landry, “Many expressed an interest in attending NSU.” Drs. Landry and Jones made similar recruiting efforts April 16 at Muskogee’s Indian Capital Technology Center.

Dr. Fritz Laux, professor of economics, participated in the Tobacco Regulation Economics Working Group, January 20, 2014. This was a small meeting of public-health economists convened to prepare and disseminate suggestions and guidance aimed at helping the FDA and US Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) to inform and improve the process of economic impact analysis, as it is used for the analysis of tobacco regulation. The meeting was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and co-chaired by Ken Warner (of the University Michigan) and Thomas Schelling (emeritus of Harvard and the University of Maryland).

Grant News

Award Name: Great Expectations 2014
Award Dates: May 1, 2014 - April 30, 2015
Award Amount: $3,110,562
Project Director: Dr. Linda Dzialo
Funding Agency: Other Sources-Private Foundation
Purpose of Award: To teach innovative and inspirational education techniques to school teachers in order to help revolutionize the classroom educational experience of children.

Optometry News

July 2014

Dr. Spencer Johnson presented three lectures at the Utah Optometric Association conference in Midway, Utah on June 5th and 6th. Courses covered topics on neuroimaging, neurological evaluation of anisocoria, and the International Classification of Disease – 10th revision.

On June 24 in Philadelphia, Dean Doug Penisten gave a presentation to the Board of Directors of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry on new and continuing initiatives regarding the multi-year, joint project team which he chairs. The project team, co-sponsored by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry and the American Optometric Association, is entitled "Developing a robust, diverse, and highly qualified national applicant pool".

Dr. Earlena McKee attended the June 2014 meeting of the American Optometric Association in Philadelphia and received the Optometric Recognition Continuing Award. Dr. McKee also participated in preparing a poster which was presented at the meeting. She did the statistical analysis for a group of faculty from the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis.

Dr. David Lewerenz presented "The iPad as a Low Vision Tool" at the annual meeting of the American Optometric Association on June 28 in Philadelphia. He was also the developer, along with Dr. Kim Reed of NOVA Southeastern University College of Optometry in Florida, of an online education course launched this summer on the American Optometric Association's EyeLearn website. The online course is entitled "Age Related Macular Degeneration: Comprehensive Care of the AMD Patient".

Dr. Alan McKee attended the June 2014 meeting of the American Optometric Association in Philadelphia and received the Optometric Recognition Continuing Award. On June 5th he accompanied the third-year optometry class on the HOYA lab tour to Lewisville, TX where he accepted a $20,000 unrestricted grant to NSUOCO.

June 2014

Dr. Richard Castillo (NSU Ophthalmologist) was reappointed to a 3-year term as a grant reviewer for the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Dr. Castillo also completed a state certification credential in HIV and Blood-borne pathogen Risk Management for Medical Professionals through the University Of Kentucky College Of Medicine.

Dr. Nate Lighthizer, O.D., Assistant Professor at the College of Optometry traveled to Lubbock, TX as well as El Paso, TX in the month of May to lecture to Texas optometrists on new Electrophysiology technology that can be used in the earliest detection of glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. He also traveled to Branson, MO along with the rest of our NSU College of Optometry CE team to put on our annual “Ocular Disease Update” Conference. There he lectured on laser procedures, viral eye diseases and the prescribing of narcotics.

David Lewerenz, O.D., Associate Professor at the NSU Oklahoma College of Optometry, will attend the meeting of the American Optometric Association from June 25 to 28. As Vice-Chair of the Vision Rehabilitation Section of the AOA, he will be involved in meetings of the Section. He will also give a presentation, "The iPad as a Low Vision Tool" as part of the continuing educational offerings at the meeting on June 28.

Dr. Alan McKee participated in the Association of Contact Lens Educators (AOCLE) annual workshop in Phoenix, AZ May 29-June 1 where the focus was “Case-Based Learning in Contact Lens Education”

Dr. Alissa Proctor received the 2013-2014 Patron of the Year award from Tahlequah Public School's Board of Education for her continued services and support providing vision screenings to the students as well as education and support to the staff of Tahlequah Public Schools.

Dr. Latricia Pack represented NSUOCO at the 2014 Association of Optometric Contact Lens Educators Workshop in Scottsdale, AZ on May 29-June 1. The workshop included instruction on case-based learning and managing patients with prosthetic eyes. She also toured the Arizona College of Optometry at Midwestern University.

Dr. Jenna Lighthizer, Dr. Earlena McKee, Dr. Alan McKee, and Dr. Latricia Pack served as mentors to a Soft Toric and Presbyopic Lens Education (STAPLE) workshop teaching soft toric contact lenses to second-year optometry students on May 20, 2014 at NSUOCO.

Dr. Alan McKee accompanied the third-year optometry class on a laboratory tour of HOYA Vision Care North America in Dallas, TX June 5-7. The trip included discussion of new products as well as the significance of ocular protection from the high-energy blue wavelength light emitted from many smartphones and LED back-lit computer displays.

A new Essilor VisiOffice frame measurement system was installed at the NSU Pheiffer Optometry Clinic at Cherokee Nation W. W. Hastings Hospital May 1st. The new system allows for precise fitting measurements required for the most advanced progressive lenses available

Dr. Alan McKee completed his second term as President of the Oklahoma Lions Eye Bank Executive Committee at the end of June with the major emphasis on fundraising and construction for the new eye bank building in Oklahoma City.

College of Science and Health Professions

Dr. April Adams presented seven workshops for the Cherokee Teach Institute, June 4 and 5, 2014 on the Tahlequah Campus of NSU.

Dr. April Adams completed the Online Educator Certificate Part II.

Dr. Pamela Christol attended the 2014 White House Science Fair, hosted by President Obama, on May 27, 2014.

Drs. Cindy Cisar and Jonathan Fisher, Department of Natural Sciences, and NSU student, Cody Poe, were co-authors on a poster presented by Cody at the annual American Society for Microbiology conference in Boston May 17-21, 2014. The title of the poster was "Presence and expression of antibiotic resistance genes from bacteria in sediments upstream and downstream of a wastewater treatment plant".

Faith Fennell, a Medical Laboratory Science 3+1 student, was selected to receive a scholarship on behalf of Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics and the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

Dr. Suneeti Jog presented a talk entitled "Floristic quality as an indicator of wetland condition in Oklahoma" at the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting in Portland, Oregon.

Dr. Suneeti Jog was co-author of a talk entitled "Analysis framework to establish biological criteria for reference-quality wetlands" at the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting in Portland, Oregon.

Dr. Diana Mashburn, Nursing, co-presented with several OU nursing faculty, an initial poster on the longitudinal study entitled “An Academic Partnership to Study EBP Elements of BSN Completion Students” at the 23rd Annual Nursing Excellence in Research and Practice Conference, Fayetteville, AR in April 2014.

Dr. Diana Mashburn assisted in planning the May 13 Muskogee Success Expo.

Dr. Kathi McDowell, Dr. Pamela Christol and Dr. Martha Parrott hosted a week-long math and science summer academy for high school students on the campus of NSU-BA June 9–13, 2014. The academy was funded by a grant from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

Dr. Kathi McDowell, Dr. Martha Parrott and Dr. Pamela Christol had an article accepted for publication in an outdoor education journal with expected publication in fall 2014. The article describes the impact on student participants during previous summer academies.

Dr. Mia Revels served as the Swainson's Warbler and Little River National Wildlife Refuge Field Trip Leader at the Red Slough Bird Convention May 3-5, 2014.

Dr. Mia Revels and Darby Hanna, NSU Honors student, presented a poster at the Southwestern Naturalists Association Meeting in Stillwater, OK on April 19, 2014.

Dr. Mia Revels traveled to Boston to present an invited lecture at Harvard University on her Swainson's Warbler research by the Nuttall Ornithological Club, the oldest ornithological society in North America.

Dr. Sallie Ruskoski, Chair of the Medical Laboratory Sciences Program, received the Outstanding Graduate Student Award for her dissertation study entitled “Relationship between Extracellular Polysaccharide Sxpression and the Propensity to Form Bio- films in Burkholderia Multivorans” from the Center of Health Sciences, Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, Oklahoma State University on June 12, 2014.

Dr. Sallie Ruskoski was approved as the new Director of the Medical Laboratory Sciences Program by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).

Dr. Michael Shaughnessy conducted field research and supervised the field research team in North Dakota as part of funded research entitled 'Survey of Fringe mammals in western North Dakota'.

Dr. Sue Woods did a science experiment on May 1 and May 5 with the 5th grade class at Caney Valley Elementary School. The students isolated microorganisms from designated locations at the school.

The Cherokee Nation sponsored the conference “Teachers of Successful Students 2014”, June 3 and 4, 2014 at Northeastern State University at which Steven Wilkinson and Karl Kruczek presented Mathematics workshops for elementary, middle, and high school math teachers from Northeastern Oklahoma.

NSU Libraries

Pamela Louderback received a $15,000 Big Read grant for 2014/2015. NSU will provide programs and events based on The Wizard of Earthsea to area high schools, TCC, OU Schusterman, TU, and community organizations from March - May 15, 2015. Our keynote speaker will be Jim Butcher, New York Times best selling author best known for his contemporary fantasy book series The Dresden Files. He also wrote the Codex Alera series.

College of Business and Technology

On June 30, 2014, Dr. Roger Collier, Dean of the College of Business and Technology served as keynote speaker for The National Conference on Re-Emergence of Business -- Transitions & Turnarounds. The conference was held in Bangalore, India, and was sponsored by the Seshadripuram Educational Trust. The College of Business & Technology is now in the fourth year of a joint MBA program with the Seshadripuram Education Trust (SET). There are currently four SET graduate students studying on campus and approximately 8 more are expected to join the program in January, 2015.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a Word document by the 15th of the month for the next month’s issue. To avoid confusion, please wait until you have all the information for your article before emailing it so we won’t have to decide which is the corrected copy. If you have any questions, please email Susan Marrs at perrysu@nsuok.edu. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter

Grant News

Award Name: Oscillatoria Limnetica 2014
Award Dates: 05/01/2014 - 08/31/2014
Award Amount: $12,500
Project Director: Dr. Ratnakar Deole
Funding Agency: Oklahoma EPSCoR through OSU
Purpose of Award: To provide a research opportunity to faculty at a research institution. Purpose of this research is use changes to the lipid composition of Oscillator Limnetica at a different salt concentration as a salinity proxy of paleoclimate reconstructions in regions where precipitation patterns constitute a major feature of climate variability. Changes in the composition in response to salt concentrations will be analyzed using GC/MS.

Award Name: Climate Variability Wetlands 2014
Award Dates: 05/01/2014 - 08/31/2014
Award Amount: $12,500
Project Director: Dr. Suneeti Jog
Funding Agency: Oklahoma EPSCoR through OSU
Purpose of Award: Faculty researcher will explore the relationships between wetland condition and array of landscape variables representing human impacts and climate conditions. The project also involves assessment of wetlands in Oklahoma to generate regional GIS based models that relate landscape characteristics to wetland condition and the geographical distribution of plant species and their response to climate change.

Award Name: Alternative Dispute Resolution- Early Settlement Northeast 2014-2015 (Yr. 21)
Award Dates: July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015
Award Amount: $81,801
Project Director: Ann Wilkins
Funding Agency: State of Oklahoma Supreme Court
Purpose of Award: To provide mediation services according to the Dispute Resolution Act and other directives and forms provided by the Administration Director of the Courts. Dispute mediation services shall be provided to northeast Oklahoma as determined by need.

Award Name: North Dakota 'fringe' Survey of Mammals 2014-16
Award Dates: 06/18/2014 - 04/30/2016
Award Amount: $20,257
Project Director: Dr. Michael Shaughnessy
Funding Agency: North Dakota Game & Fish through the U.S. Department of Interior
Purpose of Award:A mutual endeavor between North Dakota Game and Fish and NSU to establish and survey data for western North Dakota 'fringe' mammal species that are historically underrepresented in the natural history collections. Determination of range limits, vegetation associations and habitat parameters will also occur during the survey. Project Investigator will produce updated range distribution maps for North Dakota 'fringe' mammals detected during the survey.

Award Name: The Big Read 2014-15
Award Dates: April 15, 2014 - June 30, 2015
Award Amount: $15,000
Project Director: Dr. Pamela Louderback
Funding Agency: National Endowment for the Arts
Purpose of Award: Provide the local community the opportunity to celebrate Ursula K. Le Guin’s “A Wizard of Earthsea” with a variety of science fiction and fantasy events.

Award Name: TQ NSU Chemistry & Physics Academy Yr II of II (2012-2015)
Award Dates: 09/06/12 - 06/30/2015
Award Amount: $60,964.00 Year II of II funding
Project Director: Dr. April Adams
Purpose of Award: The NSU Chemistry & Physics will provide professional development for certified science teachers who want to become certified to teach Chemistry and Physics, and teacher candidates in Biology, Physical Science or Earth Science secondary science teacher preparation programs who want to become Chemistry and Physics certified.

Award Name: Child Welfare Specialization Training Program II 2013-18
Award Dates: September 30, 2013 - September 29, 2014 (Year 1 of 5)
Award Amount: Total = $735,000 in increments of $147,000/year for 5 years
Project Director: Dr. Virginia Whitekiller
Funding Agency: Department of Health & Human Services for Children and Families through The Research Foundation for the State University of New York, Albany, New York.
Purpose of Award: Development of a program of diverse child welfare workforce, namely Native Americans. It highlights a formal agency partnership with the Cherokee Nation Indian Welfare with the desired outcome that a more effective and efficient bridge will be built between both organizations that will support and enhance tribal child welfare services. This collaboration will include ongoing workforce training as well as a workforce entry and retention plan. It will include (8) BSW traineeships per year for a total of (40) awards over the 5 year period.

Award Name: Let's Talk About It Oklahoma 2014
Award Dates: 05/08/2014 - 11/30/2014
Award Amount: $850.00
Project Director: Dr. Pamela Louderback
Funding Agency: Oklahoma Humanities Council
Purpose of Award: To provide scholarly presentations to the community.

Award Name: American Burying Beetle 2014-15
Award Dates: 05/01/2014 - 06/30/2015
Award Amount: $59,983
Project Director: Dr. Craig Clifford
Funding Agency: Oklahoma Military Department
Purpose of Award: To determine the relationship between, size, metabolic rate, and travel distances for Nicrophorus species. To determine the effect of trap-and-relocate protocols on Nicrophorus species.

Welcome Back!

Activities are picking up and the new semester and school year are getting started with a bang. It’s always exciting to see the students returning and the new, freshmen arriving with hopeful looks on their faces! Let’s help them experience the best year of their college careers. The Office of Academic Affairs hopes that this will be a very productive and fun-filled year for you as well. Just a reminder about your submissions to the Academic Times...Please get your articles turned in NO LATER THAN the 15th of the month as an attachment in Word format. Your Dean should be aware of all your submissions. (We don’t want any surprises!) The only time the deadline will be extended is if the 15th falls on a Saturday or Sunday, in which case the deadline will be the following Monday morning. If the 15th falls on a holiday, please have it BEFORE we leave for the time away. We do not edit or re-write any articles so be sure to check them for correctly spelled names and proper grammar.

NSU Libraries

Each year since 1988, at the Annual SLA (Special Libraries Association) Conference in June, the Leadership and Management Division has honored one of our division’s members in recognition of significant leadership in the information management profession during the previous five years.

Accomplishments may be in any aspect of library and information management, for example:

• Visionary leadership
• Planning and strategy
• Information policy
• Technology
• Communication
• Marketing and public relations
• Human resources
• Finance
• Ethics

The accomplishment(s) must be documented by professional talks, forums, articles and/or other written communications.

Tom Rink was named the 2014 recipient of the Karen J. Switt Leadership Award. This award is presented annually to a member of Leadership and Management Division of the Special Libraries Association who best exemplifies the qualities demonstrated by Karen Switt.

Here is a part of the nominating letter LMD received about Tom:

Tom is the face of SLA. He has served in key roles in extremely challenging times. Tom united members across divisions to work together to further common goals. His concern for SLA and his dedication to the association is so great that he was willing to support individual divisions in a very personal way, both financially and through leadership, in order to help them remain viable and financially solvent. Each and every time something is asked of him, Tom responds affirmatively, positively and with energy and enthusiasm, whether by accepting a role as an officer or simply by giving advice to others. He is a role model who goes above and beyond in his mentorship of others. On the many occasions that SLA members have reached out to Tom with questions or concerns or with the need for a sounding board, he is always there as a voice of reason with a wry sense of humour. No matter what happens, Tom has a smile on his face. Quality personal relationships are key to engaging and retaining members of an association. Tom has been cultivating and nurturing relationships with his fellow SLA members for years and years. The future of our profession depends on more people like him becoming involved and leading the way.

Tom is the Instruction Librarian at Northeastern State University in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He joined SLA in 1996 and has held many leadership roles with SLA's chapters and divisions. Tom served as president of the Oklahoma chapter, treasurer of the Solo Division and the Advertising & Marketing Division, and as Division Cabinet Chair on the SLA Board of Directors. He is currently LMD's membership chair and also sits on SLA's Finance Committee.

Gary L. Cheatham, Assistant Professor of Library Services, published a review of the book titled The Great Sioux War Orders of Battle: How the United States Army Waged War on the Northern Plains, 1876-1877, by Paul L. Hedren. (Norman, OK: The Arthur H. Clark Company, 2011). In Army History: The Professional Bulletin of Army History 92 (Summer 2014): 43-44

Oklahoma College of Optometry

Dr. Patrick Stark, Dr. Joseph Shetler and his wife Karen accompanied 17 optometry students on a service trip to Roatan, Honduras. They spent four days in two different locations providing eye exams, glasses, and medications for over 800 people on the island. This was the 5th trip to Roatan for the group Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity.

Dr. Richard Castillo, (NSUOCO surgeon) lectured on topics related to optometric office surgery, anesthesia, and ophthalmic lasers at the semi-annual meeting of the Kentucky Optometric Association in Lexington, KY.

Dr. Castillo participated in NSUOCO's annual multi-state Advanced Procedures for Optometric Physicians where he lectured on office-based anesthesia, melanoma screening, tissue biopsy and suturing for optometrists in Tahlequah, OK.

Dr. Castillo participated in a telephone session which included a panel of experts moderated by the FDA dealing with ophthalmic evaluation and optometric practice with regards to participation in FDA drug-trials.

Dr. Castillo completed a certification course in the use of a new post-cataract surgery tissue-sealant. He also completed a course on femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery in Houston, TX.

Dr. Thomas Salmon visited Japan July 3-13, where he attended the Japan Contact Lens Society annual meeting, lectured at Yokohama City University on an “Introduction to Human Vision,” met with Japanese NSU graduates, and visited friends who survived the 2011 tsunami in northern Japan, where he did volunteer work three years ago following the tsunami.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a Word document by the 15th of the month for the next month's issue. To avoid confusion, please wait until you have all the information for your article before emailing it so we won’t have to decide which is the corrected copy.

If you have any questions, please email Susan Marrs at perrysu@nsuok.edu. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter

Grant News

Award Name: Oklahoma Alliance for Manufacturing Excellence 2014-2015 
Award Dates: July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015
Award Amount: $113,447
Project Director: Mr. Curtis Evans
Purpose of Award: A Manufacturing Extension Agent working out of the NSU-BA campus, will assist local manufacturers in various ways to make their businesses more successful.

Award Name: NSU Chamber Music Series
Award Dates: July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015
Award Amount: $1,250
Project Director: Dr. Norman Wika
Funding Agency: Oklahoma Arts Council
Purpose of Award: The NSU Chamber Music Series will bring professional musicians to the Tahlequah area to provide both chamber music and solo performances. These artists will also provide master classes to area music students.

Award Name: ODOC-OCRD 2014-2015 OK Center for Rural Development
Award Dates: 07/01/2014 - 06/30/2015
Award Amount: $94,387
Project Director: Mr. Raymond Murphy
Funding Agency: Oklahoma Department of Commerce
Purpose of Award: Funding will support economic development partnerships and Oklahoma communities’ analysis reports in areas such as demographic summary reports and thematic maps.

Award Name: Antifungal Activity and Cellular Targets 2014-15
Award Dates: 06/01/2014 - 04/30/2015
Award Amount: $33,469
Project Director: Dr. Cindy Cisar
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health through Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center
Purpose of Award: Funding to perform research of antifungal activity and cellular target(s) of modified lactoferricin peptides in collaboration with the University of Arkansas. This study examines modifications to a natural antimicrobial, lactoferricin, in order to determine how antimicrobial activity may be increased and to better understand the effects of these modified compounds on human pathogens.

Award Name: McM10 and Polymerase Epsilon 2014-15 Award Dates: 06/01/2014 - 04/30/2015
Award Amount: $30,062
Project Director: Dr. Sapna Das Bradoo
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health through Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center
Purpose of Award: The overall goal of this award is to achieve a molecular understanding of the physical interaction between McM10 and polymerase epsilon and the role it may play in activating the DNA replication stress checkpoint pathway. The impact of this study will be to significantly improve the understanding of how genome integrity is protected in actively replicating cells.

Award Name: Research Project-Ard1 Drosophila 2014-2016
Award Dates: 06/01/2014 - 04/30/2015 Year 1 of 3
Award Amount: $104,276
Project Director: Dr. Joseph Ahlander
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health through Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center
Purpose of Award: Experiments in mammalian cancer models have shown that over expression of Ard1 promotes tumor growth, while its inhibition causes tumor cell death, yet the molecular mechanisms that underlie these observations have not been fully elucidated. The PI's preliminary data suggest a novel mechanism for the role of Ard1 in cell survival, and this research will make an important contribution toward understanding cancer.

Award Name: Student Support Services 2014-2015 Year 5/5
Award Dates: September 1, 2014 - August 31, 2015 Award Amount: $288,684
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education CFDA#: 84.042A
Project Director: Lena Deere
Purpose of Award(s): To provide student services to those who meet the federal eligibility criteria and demonstrate academic need in order to successfully complete a program of study at NSU. To provide a comprehensive system of support services such as counseling, tutoring and academic enrichment activities.

College of Liberal Arts

“Net Worth” by Associate Professor of Art, Lance Hunter, received the Southern Watercolor Society Award in the Georgia Watercolor Society 2014 National Exhibition held at the Carrollton Cultural Arts Center in Georgia. “Fish Tales III”, the latest in a series of paintings by Hunter was selected for Watercolor USA 2014. This national exhibition was on display at the Springfield Art Museum in Missouri for much of the summer.

Dr. Kimberly Lee will receive a Distinguished Alumna Award from Tarleton State University, in Stephenville, Texas September 22, 2014. Tarleton State is recognizing Dr. Lee for her achievements in research and writing. She matriculated with her MA from Tarleton in 1997. Additionally, Lee will be presenting at the Cultural Rhetorics Conference at Michigan State University in Lansing, Michigan, October 30-November 1. The title of her presentation is "Backbone of the Nations: Indigenous Women, Resistance, and Activism."

Dr. James T. Lindroth's research manuscript entitled "Reflective Journals: A Review of the Literature" has been accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed music education journal UPDATE: Applications in Research for Music Education.

“Why Do American Indians Vote Democratic?” by Dr. Jeonghum Min and Dr. Daniel Savage, was published in The Social Science Journal 51 (June 2014) 167–180.

Dr. Melissa Strong's article "Nurses of the Great War" is forthcoming in the fall 2014 issue of Oklahoma Humanities, the publication of the Oklahoma Humanities Council.

In October Dr. Strong will present the paper "Alexie's iPods," an analysis of iPod imagery in two works by Sherman Alexie, in the American Literature after 1900 session at the South Central Modern Language Association conference. Dr. Strong's presentation will include remarks Mr. Alexie made during his talk at NSU on April 23, 2014. The Modern Language Association has accepted for publication the volume Teaching the Literatures of the American Civil War, which includes Dr. Strong's essay "Teaching Online: Using Images to Understand Constructions of Cultural Memory."

After a national competition administered by Georgetown University, Dr. Denis Vovchenko received the Advanced Turkish Language Fellowship funded by the Department of Education and the American Research Institute in Turkey. The grant provided $2,800 for living expenses and covered my airfare and tuition.

The Fellowship ran from June 12 to August 12 and included Turkish language study at the most prestigious Turkish institution of higher learning – the University of Bosphorus. Dr. Vovchenko was also able to utilize the archive of the Patriarchate of Constantinople to collect materials for ongoing research on the relationship between Russia and Ottoman Christians (1856-1914).

Dr. Jeffery Wall, Assistant Professor of Music, sang in July with the semi-professional chorus, the Ken Davis Chorale. The performance and interest session was for the Texas Choral Directors Association conference in San Antonio, TX.

Dr. Mike Wilds trained with Security Solutions International for two weeks in Israel during the summer 2014. While there, he examined security procedures for hospitals, schools, businesses, and public facilities in Israel near Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and the Gaza strip. One of the best parts of the trip, ac- cording to Wilds, was visiting Masada, the fortification on top of a rock plateau overlooking the Dead Sea where approximately 1,000 Israeli stood against the Roman Empire more than two thousand years ago. Rather than being captured, the Israeli committed suicide and left their grain silos full, communicating to the Roman Empire that they would rather die than sacrifice their beliefs. The picture below is Wilds in Jerusalem City with representatives of the Israeli army and police.

Dr. Hsin-I Sydney Yueh, Assistant Professor of Communication, presented “The Uses of Sajiao: An Ethnography of a Feminine Persuasive Speech Act in Taiwan” at North American Taiwan Studies Association Conference in June 19-20, 2014 in Madison, WI. In summer 2014, Dr. Yueh conducted interviews in Taiwan for her new research project on Overseas Asian American Identities and Popular Culture. Dr. Yueh’s article “Playing the Role of an Outsider within: Teaching Intercultural Communication through an Ethnographic Project” has been accepted by the peer-reviewed Journal, Communication Teacher, in 2015.

College of Science and Health Professions

Dr. April Adams, Dr. James Hicks, Dr. Jessica Martin, and Dr. Sophia Sweeney conducted the NSU Chemistry and Physics Summer Institutes for science teachers who would like to become additional certified in Chemistry and in Physics. This program is supported by a two-year grant from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

Dr. April Adams reviewed a manuscript for the International Journal of Science Education.

Dr. Albinescu co-authored a journal article entitled "Enaminones via Ruthenium catalyzed coupling of thioamides and alpha-diazocarbonyl compounds". The article was accepted to be published in The Journal of Organic Chemistry.

Dr. Jody Buckholtz coordinated the PASS program for general chemistry 1 & 2 courses this summer. For both courses we obtained 50% of enrolled students attended at least 1 PASS session.

Dr. Jody Buckholtz also coordinated the OKLSAMP program at NSU. For the OKLSAMP, this summer we had two students that participated in summer internships. Lauren Thompson went to Oklahoma State University and Brookhaven National Laboratory while working with Dr. Gilbert John of OSU. Luther Langston went to Dukaine University for a summer internship in computational chemistry in collaboration with Dr. Chris Burba of NSU.

Dr. Cindy Cisar in the Department of Natural Sciences received funding from the OK INBRE program in May to study "Antifungal activity and cellular target(s) of modified lactoferricin peptides". She worked over the summer with her collaborator, Dr. Denise Greathouse, at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville synthesizing and characterizing lactoferricin-based peptides.

Dr. John Diamantopoulos reviewed the paper "Best Practices for the Inverted Model" for the journal PRIMUS. He reviewed this paper "A Geometric Solution of a Cubic from Omar Khayyam...in which Coloured Diagrams are Used In- stead of Letters for the Greater Ease of Learners" by Kent and Muraki for the Mathematical Association of America’s publication Convergence.

Lisa Griggs-Stapleton, MOT, OTR/L presented a poster at the Texas Woman's University Occupational Therapy PhD Symposium on September 13, 2014. The title of the poster was "The effects of postural control on handwriting." The symposium is a biennial event to highlight the scholarly work of the TWU Occupational Therapy PhD students, both past and present.

Dr. James Hicks taught five public school teachers in the OSRHE-funded NSU Chemistry and Physics academy during July 14th-18th.

Mrs. Deb Hyde successfully completed the OEC part II course with the June 2014 cohort.

Troy Lee completed his OTD (clinical doctorate) degree from Rocky Mountain University in May 2014 and attended graduation August 2, 2014.

Dr. Martha Parrott, Dr. Pamela Christol, and Dr. Stephan Sargent are partnering with Xan Black, Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance, and Steve Amburn, National Weather Service, to provide STEM experiences one Saturday per month for in-service teachers of Osage Schools and other surrounding districts. All STEM experiences support the topic of weather and how teachers can use a newly purchased weather station to help their students gather data and make observations which integrate all STEM areas.

Staci Quant attended the National League for Nursing Education Summit in Phoenix, AZ and served as a moderator for a breakout session. Staci was fortunate to receive President's Ambassador funding and a doctoral student discount to support attendance at this national conference.

Dr. Michael Shaughnessy attended the Oklahoma Ozark Bat Conference in Colcord, OK.

Dr. Erik Terdal took students to Costa Rica for "Tropical Ecology" (BIOL 4504/5504) and networked on research opportunities there.

Dr. Sue Woods helped give a tour for Dr. Jim Ferrell’s School Facility Management class (EDUC 5613) of recent construction at Caney Valley School. Dr. Woods, who serves as the President of the Caney Valley School Board, provided her insights on preparing and passing a school bond and the subsequent construction issues.

Dr. Sue Woods attended the OSU College of Osteo- pathic Medicine White Coat Ceremony on Aug. 2. Ten students who are starting their medical careers there were students who took courses on the NSU-BA campus.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Please submit information in the form of a Word document by the 15th of the month for the next month’s issue. To avoid confusion, please wait until you have all the information for your article before emailing it so we won’t have to decide which is the corrected copy.

If you have any questions, please email Susan Marrs at perrysu@nsuok.edu. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter

Business and Technology

Reorganization in the College of Business and Technology (CBT) has resulted in development of the new Department of Marketing, Hospitality, and Supply Chain Management (MHSCM). Previously, the programs for marketing and for hospitality and tourism management were part of the Department of Business Administration. Supply chain management was in the Department of Information Systems and Technology. MHSCM “will allow the College to build on employer interest, to create synergies among three closely-related important majors, and to graduate students well-prepared for the world of work and who are in demand from area employers,” according to Dr. Roger Collier, CBT dean. The new department consists of Dr. Jon Shapiro, professor of marketing; Dr. Jitendra Tewari, associate professor of marketing; Dr. Joan Williams, associate professor of hospitality and tourism management; Dr. Ron Petty, assistant professor of marketing, and Kin Thompson, assistant professor of hospitality and tourism management. Also associated with the department are Dr. Kathleen Reese, professor of marketing and associate dean of the CBT, and Amy Bradley, instructor in marketing. Adjuncts include Pam Imhoff, associate professor of business and information technology at Tulsa Community College; Jason George, assistant general manager of the Tulsa Drillers, and Amber Fite-Morgan, assistant to the president and general counsel for NSU.

Department chair is Dr. Michael Landry, professor of marketing and coordinator of the Supply Chain Management program for the past three years. Robin Hunter provides administrative support for MHSCM and for the Department of Business Administration.

The marketing program in the College of Business and Technology has launched a new emphasis on personal selling. “Due to employer demand, quite a few universities around the country have started programs like this,” said Professor Michael Landry, chair of the Department of Marketing, Hospitality and Supply Chain Management. “We already have companies recruiting at NSU for sales people, so we want to provide graduates who are well-versed in it.”

The sales program consists of three courses: Professional Sales, Advanced Professional Sales, and Sales Management. A previous course, Sales and Sales Management, is being retired.

According to Associate Professor of Marketing Jitendra Tewari: “Students will work to become fully prepared for entry level sales positions including developing effective sales proposals, demonstrating mastery of sales technology, developing customer relationships and effective verbal and non-verbal communications techniques through role playing, field work, and networking.” Dr. Tewari will teach Professional Sales at Tahlequah during the second eight-week session of the Fall, 2014, semester. Meanwhile, Pam Imhoff, associate professor of business and information technology at Tulsa Community College and an NSU adjunct, currently teaches Professional Sales at the Broken Arrow campus.

Much of the NSU marketing faculty possess sales backgrounds from previous careers: Dr. Tewari has international sales experience and has developed sales training programs for companies like Johnson & Johnson, Modi-Xerox, and Stencil-Lacoste in India; spearheaded sales and marketing operations of the television and electronics division of Sylvania-Laxman in India, and was lead sales consultant to Informatics Computer Systems, one of the largest professional computer training organizations with more than a hundred training centers. Dr. Landry sold television and radio advertising to Colorado businesses, Professor Jon Shapiro -- a geologist by training -- was involved in gas and oil industry sales, Professor Kathleen Reese did business-to-business sales of copy machines, and Assistant Professor Ron Petty had a long career in retailing. “Selling is a critical part of business,” according to Dr. Landry, “There’s an old saying: ‘Nothing happens until somebody sells something.’”

The only prerequisite to the sales classes is MKT 3213, Principles of Marketing.

Dr. Jitendra Tewari, associate professor of marketing in the College of Business and Technology, has had two articles accepted for publication in peer reviewed journals, including one co-authored by a graduate of the NSU MBA Program.

“Some Parallels and Propositions from Consumer Behavior Applied to the Stock Market,” by Dr. Tewari will be published in the Journal of Finance and Accountancy. A version of this paper received the Best Paper of Track Award in the Economics, Accounting and Finance group at the Academic and Business Research Institute 2014 Conference in New Orleans.

Meanwhile, using research done for graduate credit while he was in the MBA program, Siddharth Mutt, an NSU student from India, joined Dr. Tewari in developing “Pricing – Improving Teaching Content and Relevancy in Undergraduate Textbooks,” expected to be published in October in the Journal of Management and Marketing Research.

In addition, Dr. Tewari has been a consultant to Townsman Motels (former owners of Oak Hills Inn and Suites) for their projects in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas. While he worked earlier with them for the internet marketing of the hotel (search engine optimization and listing collaborations) he is currently working with them for projects in Texas, as well as with the new owner of Oak Hills, Vikram Gopi. The companies have been offering full and part time positions to NSU graduates and students.

Dr. Fritz Laux, Professor of Economics, has collaborated with a group of leading health economists as part of a working group reviewing the status quo in cost-benefit analysis for tobacco regulation. On August, 4, 2014, the group's final report, in the form of a submission to the US Food and Drug Administration docket for tobacco regulation, was released to the media. On August 6, the group's analysis was featured in the New York Times in an article entitled "In New Calculus on Smoking, It's Health Gained vs. Pleasure Lost."

Four students were part of NSU’s sixth consecutive study-abroad tour to Russia in August, under the direction of Dr. Jon Shapiro, professor of marketing. Students visited St. Petersburg and Moscow businesses and cultural sites along with top European historical destinations where they evaluated emerging marketing trends, and experienced overnight train trips. A highlight was visiting the traditional Russian village of Tver, according to Dr. Shapiro.

Kin Thompson, assistant professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management, spoke in September to the eighteenth class of Leadership Tahlequah. He presented an overview of the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In its 25th anniversary edition, Seven Habits remains one of the top books on personal leadership, according to Mr. Thompson.

NSU’s Club Hospitality and Tourism (CHAT) now has enough members to become a recognized student chapter of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA), according to Stephanie Dorsch, club president. Kin Thompson, assistant professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management, said fund-raising efforts are underway to send students to the PCMA Convening Leaders Conference in Chicago in January. Fund-raising plans for a spaghetti dinner and proceeds from a Del Rancho restaurant night.

Members of the Department of Marketing, Hospitality, and Supply Chain Management along with academic advisors of the College of Business and Technology met for a half-day planning retreat September 16 on the Muskogee Campus.

“The marketing faculty has done this informally in the past,” said Dr. Michael Landry, department chair. “Some great ideas come about when we have the time to meet somewhat informally away from the day-to-day press of things.”

In the course of the retreat faculty and staff discussed class scheduling, assessment, curriculum, and enhanced relationships with Tulsa Community College. In addition, Kin Thompson, assistant professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management, conducted a team-building exercise for the attendees.

Library

Gary L. Cheatham, Assistant Professor of Library Services, published a review of the book titled Frontier Cavalry Trooper: The Letters of Private Eddie Matthews, 1869- 1874, edited by Douglas C. McChristian. (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2013). In Southwestern Historical Quarterly 118 (July 2014) 1: 87-88.

Education

Dr. Vanessa Anton (COE) and Dr. Brad Montgomery Anderson (COLA) traveled to Weifang University, Weifang, China, in June, 2014. Dr. Anton and Dr. Montgomery Anderson conducted several faculty and student presentations at two universities in the Weifang area, and faculty trainings for the new Ameri-Can International School, which opened in Weifang this fall. They each sponsored a faculty scholar who came to NSU from Weifang University in the Fall of 2013, and this was the reciprocal visit.

The Cappi Wadley Reading and Technology Center has received a $20,000 donation from AT&T. According to Dr. Tobi Thompson, Director of the Cappi Wadley Center, the donation will help support the Cappi Wadley Reading and Technology Center's utilization of emerging technology and literacy tutoring to improve reading skills of at-risk students in grades 9-12 in Northeastern Oklahoma to improve academic success and increase graduation rates, preparing students for success in post-secondary education. High school students participating will have a tablet checked out to them for the duration of the program. NSU teacher candidates will be hired as tutors.

Dr. Sophia Sweeney served as a proposal reviewer for the 2015 International Meeting of the Association for Science Teacher Education.

Dr. Vanessa Anton and Dr. Stan Sanders conducted an all day workshop for P-12 teachers (clinical faculty) and administrators, and their NSU education interns on August 7, 2014, on the Muskogee campus. The workshop titled "Using Co-Teaching as Best Practice in Student Teaching Experiences" was attended by approximately 75 educators and future educators.

Dr. Lisa Tritschler presented "Sequential vs. Layered Curriculum" to the Oklahoma College of Optometry on July 29, 2014.

Dr. Mary Swanson presented Powerful Presentation 101 at the Community & Collaboration Day on August 13, 2014. She shared ways to make the PowerPoint or other presentations more motivating, inspiring, and powerful.

The College of Education held its second annual COE SNAG Golf Scholarship Fundraiser Saturday, September 6, 2014, at the Burnt Cabin SNAG Course. Faculty and staff also celebrated a Fall Gathering at this same event. Around 80 attended the event and over $7,000 raised for scholarships. Rosie the robot kicked off the event on the first tee, and Rowdy entertained and encouraged players. Rosie was designed and programmed to take the first swing by COE RoboHawk students. COE faculty and staff worked hard to make this a great family and community celebration that will benefit NSU students.

George Washington’s Mount Vernon has selected four educators to receive an incredible opportunity to enhance their curricula, create new lesson plans, and explore different teaching techniques by participating in a residential fellowship program at the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington. The LifeGuard Teacher Fellows Program enables classroom teachers and educators to conduct short-term residential research on a variety of themes inspired by the life, leadership, and legacy of George Washington. Four fellowship recipients were selected nationally. Among the fellows is Dr. Linda Wilson of Northeastern State University.

The LifeGuard Teacher Fellows Program is facilitated by The Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington, which opened September 27, 2013. Located just outside the main entrance to Washington’s Virginia estate, the Library safeguards original Washington documents and serves as a center for scholarly research and leadership training.

By offering funded residential study opportunities for classroom teachers and educators through its new Library, Mount Vernon is taking an important step to improve the quality of history education, drawing renewed focus and interest on the founding era and on the remarkable traits and accomplishments of George Washington. Applying the research they conduct at the estate, fellowship recipients will create and design curriculum materials, lesson plans, electronic media, and other educational materials. The 2014-2015 fellows will conduct on-site research on an array of topics, beginning this fall and continuing through summer 2015.

Dr. Wilson will conduct research in both the fall and spring at Mt. Vernon. Her creative project will combine the curricular areas of visual arts, language arts, and social studies in which elementary students can create graphic novels about George Washington.

Grant News

Award Name: (NASNTI) Indigenous Scholar Development Center 2014-2015 
Award Dates: October 1, 2014 - September 30, 2015
Award Amount: $372,625
Project Director: Dr. Jennifer McCann
Principal Investigator: Dr. Tom Jackson Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education
Purpose of Award: A grant for the U.S. Department of Education to provide for a comprehensive approach to the delivery of services designed to enhance the overall post secondary educational experience of students, particularly the low income, American Indian population.

Award Name: Oklahoma INBRE-Research Project Ischemic Stroke 2014 Yr 1 of 3
Award Dates: 07/09/2014 - 04/30/2015 
Year 1 Award Amount: $102,578
Total Project Award: $256,919
Project Director: Dr. Kevin Wang
Funding Agency: OUHSC through National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Purpose of Award: To develop an alternative plant seed-based platform for large scale and low cost production of functional DSPAs for the treatment of acute stroke patients.

Award Name: Student Academic Success Center 2014-2015, Year 4/5
Award Dates: October 1, 2014 - September 30, 2015
Award Amount: $303,967
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education
Project Director: Mr. Olaf Standley
Principal Investigator: Dr. Tom Jackson
Purpose of Award(s): Funding to provide for the formation, staffing and facilitation of a centralized Student Academic Success Center (SASC). The Center will provide for initial and continuing-multi modal contact with NSU's high risk and minority students in order to increase retention and graduation rates.

College of Business & Technology

During October, 2014, Dr. Jim Phillips traveled to Bangalore, India to teach an MBA class of 15 students at the Seshadripuram Academy for Global Excellence (SAGE) as part of a joint MBA program between the NSU College of Business & Technology and SAGE. His wife, Jan, accompanied him and provided teaching assistance during their nineteen-day stay. They had the opportunity to speak to large groups of students and faculty on three different occasions.

The staff and faculty at SAGE extended courtesy and kindness to Dr. and Mrs. Phillips in many ways. They said it was a great opportunity to be among the people of India and teach them in the classroom and at lectures. Dr. Phillips noted, however, that he often felt he was a student himself, through the many interactions that allowed him to observe and experience Indian culture.

Mai Vang, Executive Vice President of NSU’s Top of the Line Chapter of the American Marketing Association, was presented with a 32-inch CTV by Chapter President Holly Wilson (center) for fall recruitment efforts for the chapter. Also shown is Casey Bristow, awarded a Beats Head Set. Mai and Holly were scheduled to attend the sales competition at the AMA Regional Collegiate Conference at Aurora University in Illinois in October. Top of the Line now has seventeen members, according to Assistant Professor Dr. Ron Petty, faculty sponsor.

Dr. Dilene Crockett, Associate Professor of Management, has been named the recipient of the fall 2014 Jesse & Marilyn Gailey Faculty Fellowship in the College of Business & Technology. This two-year Fellowship provides professional development funds to support focused research, professional travel, and professional development. The Jesse & Marilyn Gailey Faculty Fellowship Program was established in the College of Business & Technology in 2009. Jesse Gailey graduated from NSU in 1964 with a major in Business Administration.

Kin Thompson, assistant professor of Hospitality and Tourism Management, received the highest student evaluation ratings in his presentation at the 2014 Oklahoma Student Leadership Retreat in Norman in October, according to a letter to Professor Thompson from Kermit McMurry, Vice Chancellor of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.

Sponsored by the Regents, the retreat hosted more than 170 students and student affairs administrators from two dozen institutions around Oklahoma. At the event, Professor Thompson made an interactive presentation of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

Other presentations by Mr. Thompson during October included being keynote speaker for the Business Professionals of America 2014 Leadership Day and for the National Technical Honor Society, both on the Pryor campus of Northeast Technology Center; addressing Leadership Muskogee on Twenty-one Irrefutable Laws of Leadership at the Camp Tulakogee Conference Center; presenting Life Matters to the Tahlequah City Hospital directors’ retreat at the Embassy Suites in Rogers, Arkansas; speaking to the Baptist Collegiate Ministries in Tahlequah, and moderating Transforming Economies – Branding Your Community at the Sixth Annual Summit of the Northeast Oklahoma Regional Alliance.

Also in October, he was involved in the Tahlequah Public Schools Foundation Glow Golf Tournament. In addition, Professor Thompson has been serving on the selection committee to hire a new Convention and Business Bureau director for Tahlequah.

College of Education

The Curriculum and Instruction Department has signed a partnership agreement with Carl Albert State College for the elementary and special education programs. Beginning in the fall of 2015, Carl Albert State College students pursuing an Associate of Arts in Pre-Elementary Education can take classes for a Bachelor of Science in Pre-Elementary Education or a Bachelor of Science in Education – Special Education – Mild/Moderate Disorders from NSU. Additionally, students completing NSU’s special education program are eligible to sit for both the special education and elementary education exam. This marks the first time since NSU’s Smart Choice transfer program was established that a student can pursue a four-year degree without leaving their two-year school.

The Curriculum and Instruction Department will be implementing the new Master of Special Education with a Specialization in Autism Spectrum Disorders program in the Fall of 2015. This program will emphasize effective and evidence based academic, behavior, functional, and social skill strategies for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Three Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, Oklahoma Teacher Connection Grants totaling over $25,000 were awarded to the College of Education.

Dr. Debbie Landry received an $11,224 Oklahoma Teacher Connection Grant to create the RiverHawks Academy for future teachers. We hope to promote and highlight the rewarding career in education, attracting the best and brightest to educational careers, and facilitate the restoration of future teacher student groups to help our region "grow their own" teachers.

Dr. Vanessa Anton and Dr. Lisa Tritschler received a $7,000 Oklahoma Teacher Connection Grant to recruit future teachers in specific shortage areas at the high school and university level through a variety of methods. We will be presenting at area high schools, visiting with students and providing promotional materials. We will also be offering COE orientation courses face-to-face and via Blackboard for college credit to concurrent and current university students.

Dr. Tobi Thompson and Ms. Ingrid Massey have received an Elementary Read/Early Childhood Literacy Grant from Oklahoma Teacher Connection. The $7,000 grant will pay for teacher candidates to tutor struggling readers in Rocky Mountain Elementary School in Stilwell.

In addition, Dr. Thompson and Ms. Massey have received an iREAD grant with Maryetta Elementary School in Stilwell. This innovative approach to literacy grant will include a curriculum development and teacher coaching component to help Maryetta teachers incorporate writing across the curriculum.

The College of Education hosted the annual Oklahoma Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (OACTE), Oklahoma Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (EQA), and Oklahoma Association of Teacher Educators (OATE) conference on October 9th and 10th, 2014, on the Broken Arrow campus. The theme for the conference was “Taking Charge of Change”. The conference was attended by educators across the state. The agenda included both State Superintendent candidates, Dr. John Cox and Ms. Joy Hofmeister, as keynote speakers. The conference offered a variety of timely session topics, including innovative partnerships and collaborations, creative teaching and learning strategies, changing trends in education, using assessments for program improvement, and using technology to impact change. In addition, attendees were able to participate in program review/accreditation training. Several faculty also presented at the conference: Dr. April Adams, Dr. Renee Cambiano, Dr. Kelli Carney, Dr. Pam Christol, Dr. Cindi Fries, Barbara Fuller, Dr. Rachel Green, Jericho Hobson, Ingrid Massey, Dr. Martha Parrott, Dr. Barbara Ray, Dr. Pamela Speaks, Dr. Mary Swanson, Dr. Tobi Thompson, Dr. Lisa Tritschler, and Dr. Linda Wilson. Dr. Debbie Landry presented the Specialized Professional Association (SPA) session/ training for ACEI—Association for Childhood Education International.

Dr. Debbie Landry and Dr. Vanessa Anton attended and participated in the CAEP (Council for Accreditation of Educator Preparation) State Clinical Alliance Committee meetings in Washington, D.C., September 29 to October 1, 2014.

Dr. Landry and Dr. Anton are each on CAEP Design Teams working to review and refresh vision and activities of the alliance in three target areas—partnerships, experience, and educators.

Dr. Ede and Dr. Da Ros-Voseles presented “Trouble with Reading Compliance? There is a Solution!” at a round table discussion at the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators on November 5, 2014, in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. Carl Farinelli presented at a conference in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Dr. Ken Hancock presented at a conference in Pensacola, Florida.

Dr. Ken Hancock and Dr. Jim Ferrell presented interim studies to the Oklahoma House of Representatives regarding school finance, the teacher shortage in Oklahoma, and special education students and testing.

Dr. Karen Carey presented at a conference in Denver, Colorado.

Dr. Renee Cambiano and Dr. Pam Speaks were accepted to present at a conference in Alberta, Canada.

Dr. Renee Cambiano, Dr. Pam Speaks, Dr. Carl Farinelli,and Dr. Ron Cambiano were accepted to present at a conference in Barcelona, Spain.

Dr. Jim Ferrell was accepted to present at a conference in Del Rey Beach, Florida.

Dr. Tobi Thompson and Professor Ingrid Massey have received a $14,579 grant to provide literacy training to Maryetta Public Schools' teachers over a four year period. In addition, Thompson and Massey are conducting a study to evaluate the effectiveness of computer-based and face-to-face tutoring at the Cappi Wadley Reading and Technology Center.

Six Master of Science in Higher Education Leadership graduate students and Dr. Susan Frusher, program chair, presented “Indigenizing the Higher Education Leadership Program at Oklahoma’s Northeastern State University” at the National Indian Education Association in Anchorage, AK Oct 15-18, 2014. Dr. Frusher opened the workshop with a discussion of the higher education leadership program and the students followed with presentations of their research. The graduate students and the title of their research were: Tammy Charles, “Wyandotte Nation Scholarship Program: Participation, Retention and Education Completion...Serving the next 7 generations”; Alejandro Gonzalez, “Learning Preference of Non-Traditional Native American Students”; Marsey Harjo, “Retention and Graduation of American Indian Students and the Implication on Leadership”; Ryan Sierra, “Perspectives of Tribal Citizens: Effects of Tribal Leadership on Citizen Morale”; Cassie Smith, “Native American Online Learning”; and Corey Still “Understanding the Differences: A Look at Higher Education from the Voices of American Indian Students”.

The trip was sponsored by the Indigenous Scholar Development Center and Ms. Rebecca Clovis, Scholar Development Coordinator, coordinated the trip. The graduate students’ responsibilities included mentoring undergraduate education students. The undergraduate education students included: Faith Brown, Samuel Frazier, Vanessa Moore, Sinea Ryan, Steven Sly, and Sky Wildcat.

Several of the Reading Faculty attended and presented at the 58th Annual Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers Conference Bridging Cultures through Literacy on October 29th through November 3rd in Delray Beach Florida.

Stephan Sargent, Mary Swanson, Mindy Smith, and Meagan Moreland presented “The Implementation of a Predication Equation for a Standardized Test of Achievement: Theory to Practice.”

Meagan Moreland presented “Creating a Thriving University Based Reading Clinic.”

Stephan Sargent and Mindy Smith presented “Literacy Efficacy: The Impact of Professional Development for Secondary Educators Implementing the Common Core Standards.”

Mindy Smith presented "Transliterate in a Transliteracy Century: Bringing the Culture of 21st Century Students with Technology."

Sara Ramsey presented "What’s Grit Got To Do with It? Looking at Literacy Instruction of Pre-Service Teachers in a Culturally Diverse Clinical Setting through the Lens of Perseverance and Passion”.

NSU ROBOTICS TRANSFORMS
VIENNA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

NSU’s College of Education continued their international travel experiences by taking seventeen students, two faculty advisors, Rosie the Robot and five suitcases of robotics material to the Vienna International School in Vienna, Austria December 6- December 19, 2014. Each semester teacher candidates from the College of Education travel to the Vienna International School, led by Dr. Cindi Fries, as part of a field experience. During the fall semester of 2014, the director of VIS requested students conduct robotic workshops for students from their 5th, 8th and 9th grade programs. The College of Education instituted a Robotics Academy of Critical Engagement in the spring of 2013, implementing robotics into their Technology in Education courses. R.A.C.E., with director Barbara Fuller, is the only teacher prep program in the United States preparing future teachers to use robotics in the classroom promoting critical thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration. Once they arrived in Vienna, NSU students set up two areas of interaction for students within VIS. Miller Roberts III, Vice President of the Robotics Education Competition Foundation, partnered with Kirk Norrid (science education major) to set up and play freeze tag with VEX IQ robots during breaks and lunch with all school students. Other future teachers, Kyndall Thomas, Erin Edmundson, Kelsey Barbee, Christina Forrester, Rhiannon Guinn, Krystie Johnson, Jessica Koster, Chauntel Young, Kali Long, Kaytlin Mathis, Anthea Miller, Sheila Inman Knox, Jamie Dotson, and Megan York conducted five workshops over a period of four days with over 200 children. The NSU team and VIS also sponsored a parent night in which over 100 parents participated.

College of Liberal Arts

Dr. Ronald Chioldi, Professor of Piano, performed solo recitals at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, University of Northern Iowa, and for Stateline Music Foundation Concert Series in Freeport, Illinois. He also taught two piano master-classes and presented two lectures/ workshops in September. In October he performed a collaborative recital at Eastern Michigan University and taught a masterclass there.

NSU Speech and Debate won 3 awards at the Bob Derryberry Memorial Tournament. Anthony Woodall took 2nd place in informative and was a semi-finalist for Impromptu. Gemini Creason took 6th in After Dinner Speaking. The team is directed by Dr. Kristopher Copeland, Assistant Professor of Communication.

Copeland was selected as the Vice President of the Oklahoma Speech Theater Communication Association. He will plan the 2015 conference to be held at the NSU Broken Arrow Campus.

Chris Garland, Instructor of Social Work, presented original research entitled Perceptions of Knowledge in the College Learning Environment at the 30th Annual International Society for the Scientific Study of Subjectivity Conference in Salt Lake City on September 5th. This paper contrasted students’ opinions on personal epistemology and critical thinking and was conducted utilizing the Q research method. Further research along this topic may potentially lead to a better understanding of how students receive and process information during their higher education.

Dr. Andrew Vassar, Associate Professor of Humanities, was accepted to the Japan Studies Association's "Creating Kyoto Workshop" this summer, and attended with the help of the College of Liberal Arts, the NSU Foundation, and the Office of Academic Affairs. The weeklong workshop included attendance at a Noh play and actor's workshop, several tours of important sites in and around the historic capital of Japan, and meditation sessions at various Buddhist monasteries. Afterwards, Vassar toured Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the site of the hypocenters of the atomic bomb droppings of WWII.

A special thanks to Mike Brown, Instructor of Media Studies, for redesigning the masthead for the Academic Times.

Dr. Ben Kracht, Professor of Anthropology, was the consultant for the recent grade school book, Secrets of Mesa Verde: Cliff Dwellings of the Pueblo, published by Capstone Press.

Associate Professor of Art Lance Hunter received Best of Show in the Keystone National 2014. The award was for his watercolor painting titled “Net Worth”. This national competitive exhibition for works on paper was held at the Art Center Galleries in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania from September 12th to October 14th.

During the 2014 summer, Assistant Professor of Music Dr. James Lindroth served as the Music Director for the Medellin Gran Banda from the country of Columbia. This group toured on the DCI SoundSport circuit performing in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, West Virginia, and Indiana. The ensemble received Gold Medals and were the 2014 DCI SoundSport Grand Champions.

Dr. David Linebarger, Professor of Humanities, recently published "Silicon Valley" in Verse Daily, a popular website that publishes favorite poems from recently published books. "Silicon Valley" was first published in his second collection of poems, Bed of Light.

An article by Political Science Assistant Professor Dr. Jeonghum Min and Associate Professor Dr. Dan Savage won the Western Social Science Association’s Larry Gould Best Article Award for 2014. The article, "Why Do American Indians Vote Democratic?" was published in the Social Science Journal, Volume 51, Issue 2, in June 2014.

The NSU Theatre Company presented Thank You, Lord, for Making Gals, its premiere children's theatre musical production, under the direction of Dr. Robyn Pursley, to an audience of nearly 2,000 students and teachers over the course of one week in September. Through collaboration with Christopher Miller, the show was also performed as a fundraiser for the Cherokee County Humane Society.

Dr. Pursley was selected as the Associate Vice President of the Oklahoma Speech, Theatre, and Communication Association.

Dr. Melissa Strong, Assistant Professor of English, presented the paper "Alexie's iPods" at the 71st annual conference of the South Central Modern Language Association in Austin, TX.

Dr. Strong's article "Nurses of the Great War" was published in the fall 2014 issue of Oklahoma Humanities. Dr. Strong presented the invited lecture "Faith and Feminism" at John Brown University on October 29.

Dr. Jeffery Wall, Assistant Professor of Music, has been invited to conduct and clinic the Broken Arrow Vocal Music OCDA Audition Prep Workshop on October 25. This workshop serves as a final preparation for students in the Northeast Oklahoma region and will be held at the Freshmen Academy in Broken Arrow.

Instructor of Art Sylvia Nitti’s painting “Girl in Water” won the HK Holbein Inc. Award, at the Pastel Society of the West Coast “Pastels USA”, 28th Annual International juried Art Exhibition. The image of the painting was also featured on the invitational postcard and exhibition catalog. The show is held in Morro Bay, California and will be open until Nov. 8. “Girl in Water” also won the Best in Mixed Media Award at the 20th ANA Annual 10 State Juried Art Exhibition. The exhibition was held at the Arts Center of the Ozarks in Springdale Arkansas. Sylvia’s Nitti’s paintings “Forgotten Passion II” and “Rainy Afternoon” have also won a 2nd place award and an honorable mention in the Professional Graphics category at the Northeastern Oklahoma Area Artist show.

Associate Professor of English Dr. Brian Cowlishaw along with Christian Alyea of Oklahoma Study Abroad, took 11 travelers on an NSU-sponsored trip around India, December 26, 2014 to January 10, 2015. The group visited locations in Delhi, Jaipur, Pushkar, Agra, and Kochi.

Dr. Hsin-I Sydney Yueh, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, signed a book contract with Lexington Books, an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group to publish her dissertation "The Tactic of the Weak: Identity Politics and Popular Culture in Taiwan" in 2016.

Dr. Donna Shelton, Professor of Spanish, will conduct a session titled "Creative Commons and the Ethical Use of Images in Language Instruction" at the annual conference of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages to be held in San Antonio November 21-23, 2014. Dr. Shelton will also conduct a ninety-minute focus session, "Student Voices: Creating Engaging Interpersonal and Presentational Speaking Tasks with Audio Recording Apps," at the Southwest Conference on Language Teaching to be held in Denver February 27-28, 2015.

Professor of Social Work Dr. Virginia Whitekiller and Instructors of Social Work, Ms. Carolyn Green and Ms. Toni Hail, received professional education curriculum training in April of 2014 on Financial Capabilities and Asset Building at Washington University in St. Louis' Center for Social Development (CSD). A collaborative agreement was entered into with the NSU social work department and the CSD on the development, implementation, and evaluation of a post-secondary curriculum for social workers who work with financially vulnerable populations. Data collection will begin this spring that will assist in developing and testing current knowledge and best practices in this area.

Oklahoma College of Optometry

Dr. Richard Castillo received a Special Citation from the House of Representatives of the State of Oklahoma for Outstanding Contributions to Surgical Advancement and Advancement of Optometric Care in the State of Oklahoma.

Award was recommended by Representative David Brumbaugh and presented on 9/28/14 by Dr. Doug Penisten Dean, Oklahoma College of Optometry, Dr. George Foster, Dean Emeritus, Oklahoma College of Optometry, and Dr. Kathleen Elliot, Secretary-Treasurer, Oklahoma State Board of Examiners in Optometry.

Nathan Lighthizer, O.D., F.A.A.O., Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Care Services and Continuing Education in the Oklahoma College of Optometry traveled along side Dr. Richard Castillo, Dr. Jeff Miller, and Callie McAtee to Red Deer, Alberta to deliver a 32 hour Certification course for 600 optometrists in Alberta, Canada. This was a historic event as Alberta is the first province in Canada to obtain these expanded optometric privileges, and NSU was selected to be the certifying institution.

The following week Dr. Lighthizer, along with Dr. Richard Castillo, Dr. Michelle Welch, and Dr. Jenna Lighthizer, traveled to Lafayette, LA to put on another 32-hour Advanced Certification Course. This past summer Louisiana became the 3rd state (after Oklahoma and Kentucky) to pass optometric scope expansion including the use of anterior segment laser procedures. The NSU Oklahoma College of Optometry has provided the Advanced Certification training for every optometrist in Kentucky and now in Louisiana. The course was attended by 100 doctors and was a tremendous success.

Dr. Lighthizer lectured in Dallas, TX this past month at the Texas Optometric Association EyeCon meeting.

The annual American Academy of Optometry meeting was in Denver, CO this past week, and Dr. Lighthizer provided 3 lectures on lasers, viral eye disease, and electrodiagnostics, as well as taking part in a Glaucoma special interest group (SIG) workshop on narrow angle glaucoma.

Dr. Spencer Johnson presented two lectures at the Fall Primary Eyecare Update in Tahlequah on September 27th. The first course gave participants an overview of the International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision coding system, which is schedule for implementation October 1, 2015. The second course reviewed how to order neuroimaging, particularly CT and MRI scans, in the practice of optometry.

Dr. Kippi Wyatt, Associate Dean, has been named to the editorial board of the journal, Optometric Education.

Spencer Johnson, O.D., Assistant Professor in the College of Optometry is part of a research team that was just awarded an NIH planning grant ($450,000) to conduct a study to determine planning parameters needed to design a national, multi-site clinical trial to test definitively whether or not a single, in-office treatment of ophthalmic povidone-iodine (Betadine 5%) is more effective than standard care with artificial tears at reducing viral load and improving symptoms in patients with adenoviral conjunctivitis (a form of pink eye). Adenoviral conjunctivitis (Ad-CS) is a prevalent condition that is highly contagious, and the morbidity associated with this infection has a considerable economic impact on society. Although there are no FDA-approved treatments for Ad-CS, ophthalmic solutions of Betadine are being used ‘off-label’ by a significant number of clinicians to treat this condition. Betadine is a broad-spectrum antiseptic with an excellent safety profile, but the efficacy of Betadine against Ad-CS has not yet been tested in a randomized controlled clinical trial. Other members of the RAPID (Reducing Adenoviral Patient Infected Days) research group Steering Committee include: Mae Gordon, PhD (Washington University); James Chodosh, MD, MPH (Massachusetts Eye and Ear); Thomas Freddo, OD, PhD (University of Waterloo); Andrew Hartwick, OD, PhD (The Ohio State University College of Optometry); Ellen Shorter, OD (University of Illinois at Chicago); and Tammy Than, MS, OD (University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry).

College of Science and Health Professions

Dr. April Adams reviewed a manuscript for the Oklahoma Journal of School Science.

Dr. April Adams reviewed proposals for the National Association of Research in Science Teaching Annual Conference.

Dr. Adams was elected President-Elect of the Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teacher Association.

Dr. Adams presented a workshop for elementary science teachers at the Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teacher Association Fall Meeting on the Broken Arrow Campus of NSU.

Dr. April Adams and Dr. Pam Christol presented “NSU Collaboration with U.S. Satellite Laboratory: STEM Certificate and M.Ed.” at the OACTE/OCTE/OCTP Conference October 9, 2014 on the NSU Broken Arrow Campus.

Dr. April Adams and Dr. Pam Christol received NSTA Program Review Training at the OACTE/OCTE/OCTP Conference October 10, 2014 on the NSU Broken Arrow Campus.

Dr. April Adams and Dr. Jim Hicks presented a workshop entitled, “Engaging Students in Chemistry and Physics,” at the Oklahoma Science Teacher Association Meeting at the University of Central Oklahoma on November 1, 2014 and had a booth advertising the online M.Ed. in Science Education program as well.

Dr. April Adams presented a Teacher Workshop entitled, “Analyzing the Fall of an Egg and Its Protector,” and recruited graduate students at the CAST Conference in Dallas, Texas November 19-22, 2014.

Dr. April Adams passed the Quality Matters QM Rubric Update 2014 course to maintain her role as a QM Reviewer and Master Reviewer.

Dr. April Adams, Dr. Sophia Sweeney, Dr. James Hicks, and Dr. Jessica Martin submitted an Improving Teacher Quality Grant proposal entitled,“NSU Chemistry and Physics Academy,” to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education ($64, 670). The purpose of the grant is to increase the number of chemistry and physics certified teachers in Oklahoma.

Sydney Dorrough, Instructor in the Occupational Therapy Program, presented on November 11, 2014 to the Tahlequah Public Schools a presentation entitled, Sensory Strategies for the Classroom.

Ms. Vicki Brown-Racy, a faculty member in the Human and Family Science Program, was installed as a National Alumni Councilor for Phi Upsilon Omicron National Honor Society in Boise, Idaho in September 2014. On November 7, she also attended Chautauqua 2014 sponsored by the OSU Center for Family Resilience.

Dr. Cindy Cisar, Department of Natural Sciences, published a research paper on "Antibiotic Resistance in Aeromonas Upstream and Downstream of a Water Resource Recovery Facility" in the journal Water Environment Research in September.

Dr. Cindy Cisar in the Department of Natural Sciences had a research student, Alejandra Mera, present a poster entitled “qnrS Genes in Environmental Bacteria” at the annual OK Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation research conference in Stillwater, OK on September 27, 2014.

In September Dr. Cindy Cisar and her research students published a paper in a peer-reviewed journal. Citation: Antibiotic Resistance in Aeromonas Upstream and Downstream of a Water Resource Recovery Facility, Cindy R. Cisar, Samantha K. Henderson, Maegan L. Askew, Hollie G. Risenhoover, Chrystle R. McAndrews, S. Dawn Kennedy, C. Sue Paine, Water Environ. Res., 86, 835 (2014)

Dr. Cindy Cisar, Department of Natural Sciences, judged student posters at the Arkansas INBRE research conference November 7-8 in Fayetteville, AR.

Dr. Cindy Cisar, Department of Natural Sciences, published a research paper on "Antibiotic Resistance in Aeromonas Upstream and Downstream of a Water Resource Recovery Facility" in the journal Water Environment Research in September. Dr. Sapna Das-Bradoo was invited to give a research talk at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Tulsa on November 3, 2014.

Dr. John de Banzie reviewed a chapter of a Biochemistry textbook for a publishing company.

Dr. John de Banzie had an iBook that he prepared as a supplement for his Genetics Laboratory course accepted into the Apple iTunes Store. The book is available for students to download at no cost.

Faculty Development News: The Faculty Development Committee web page has been moved from the Arapaho Server to Blackboard. Once logged into blackboard, you can scan across the top, select "organizations" and you should see Faculty Development as a choice. This where you can find application forms, guidelines, meeting dates/deadlines, etc. If you have further questions, please contact Dr. John Diamantopoulos, committee chair, or Susan Marrs in the Academic Affairs office.

Dr. John Diamantopoulos published an article in PLUS Magazine, entitled "Making a Right Angle the Maya Way", which can be viewed at: http://plus.maths.org/content/making-right-angle-maya-way. His talk "Making Animated GIFs for Classroom Use -- was approved for presentation at the 2015 ICTCM conference.

Dr. Heather Fenton, Nursing faculty, organized the 1st Annual Nursing and Allied Health Educators Conference at Sea held October 16-20, 2014 aboard the Carnival Triumph sailing from Galveston, TX to Cozumel, Mexico. The conference focused on Assessment Strategies: Celebrating Practices which Enhance Student Learning, Evaluation, and Accountability. Attending from NSU Department of Health Professions were Dr. Fenton, Dr. Diana Mashburn, Dr. Jodi Gooden and Dr. Sallie Ruskoski. These faculty presented posters and lead breakout sessions.

Dr. Heather Fenton, Chair of the MSN Nursing Program at NSU presented a breakout session at the Oklahoma Nurses Association meeting in Tulsa, OK on October 22-23, 2014.

Ms. Lisa Griggs-Stapleton and Dr. Troy Lee, both of the Occupational Therapy Program, attended the 7th Annual Oklahoma Service Learning Conference held on November 7, 2014 at the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman, OK. The day focused on the best practices in service learning and building university-community partnerships.

Dr. Patrick Harrington chaired the Mathematics and Computer Science section and gave a presentation, "Game Theory to Improve Security," at the Technical Meeting of the Oklahoma Academy of Science on November 7, 2014.

Ms. Deborah Hyde completed a LEED Certification training workshop at OSU Stillwater on October 18, 2014.

On Thursday October 2, 2014 Karl Kruczek and Dr. Martha Parrott took part in the One Agenda discussions/ meeting with Tulsa area public school teachers and administrators along with Higher Ed faculty and deans from NSU, RSU and TCC. One Agenda is a project of the Higher Education Forum of Oklahoma that promotes collaboration among member institutions to increase academic preparedness for college and college completion in Northeastern Oklahoma.

Dr. Suneeti Jog gave an invited talk entitled "Oklahoma's wetland health as diagnosed by plants" for the departmental seminar series at Tulsa Community College.

Dr. Alexis Jones, a faculty member in the Department of Medical Laboratory Science, received a travel award and attended the American Physiological Society’s Comparative Approaches in Physiology meeting October 5-8, 2014 in San Diego, California.

Dr. Alexis Jones also was an author on a recent publication, “Running Longer, Running Stronger: A Brief Review of Endurance Exercise and Estrogen” in the Journal of Comparative Exercise Physiology.

Dr. Sharon Jones and Dr. Edgarita Long of the Speech-Language Pathology Program presented a poster, “Accent Modification: Training SLP Students to Serve Accented American-English Speakers” at the Annual Oklahoma Speech-Language-Hearing Association in Tulsa, Oklahoma October 3 & 4, 2014.

Dr. Sharon Jones, Assistant Professor, Speech-Language Pathology published an article, “Infant Behavior and Development; Maternal Cradling Bias; Implications Early Identification of Children at Risk”.

Dr. Troy Lee, Occupational Therapy faculty member, presented “The Functional Independence Measure: A Medicare Reimbursement Tool” to students in the Tulsa Community College Occupational Therapy Assistant Program on September 19, 2014.’

Troy Lee, OTD, OTR/l, faculty member in the Occupational Therapy Program presented, Updates to the Occupational Therapy Framework III” and was a panel member a panel entitles: “So you Think you want to be a Fieldwork Educator” at the Oklahoma Occupational Therapy Association Annual Conference in Oklahoma City on October 3-4, 2014.

Dr. Troy Lee, Assistant Professor in the Occupational Therapy Program, and Dr. Judith A. Melvin, Program Director, attended the Joint Academic Leadership Council and Academic Fieldwork Coordinators’ meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana October 23 & 24, 2014. Dr. Melvin also attended the Self Study Workshop on October 21 & 22, 2014.

Dr. Edgarita Long and Dr. Karen Patterson of the Speech-Language Pathology Program proposed a partnership agreement with TCC to start an Associate of Science in Speech-Language Pathology that would prepare the students for a bachelor degree in Speech-Language Pathology Program at NSU.

Dr. Diana Mashburn, Chair of the RN-BSN Program was elected President elect of the Oklahoma League of Nurses. On October 22-23, 2014 all of the faculty in NSU’s Nursing Program attended the Oklahoma Nurses Association meeting, Reimagining Nursing: A Holistic Approach, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Dr. Karen Patterson, Professor, Speech- Language Pathology and Amber Burris-George, Instructor/Clinic Director, Speech- Language Pathology will be presenting at the American Speech Language Hearing Association convention on November 21, 2014.

Dr. Mark Paulissen reviewed manuscripts for two separate journals this Fall: The Southwestern Naturalist and the Proceedings of the Oklahoma Academy of Science.

Dr. Mark Paulissen presented a paper entitled: "Response to Predator Odor by the Lizard Scincella Lateralis" at the Oklahoma Academy of Science Technical Meeting held at NSU-Broken Arrow in November. NSU Student Amanda Hatzenbuehler was a co-author on the paper.

Also, Dr. Paulissen co-authored a paper presented by NSU Honors Student Devyn Moran entitled: "Aggressive Behavior in Juvenile Five-lined Skinks (Plestiodon fasciatus)" at the same meeting.

Dr. Mark Paulissen was also reviewer for the journal ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR.

Dr. Mark Paulissen had an article entitled: "The Role of Visual Cues in Learning Escape Behaviour in the Little Brown Skink (Scincella lateralis)" published in the latest issue of the journal BEHAVIOUR (volume 151: 2015-2028).

Dr. Mia Revels was awarded $5,000 by the Nuttall Ornithological Club for a grant project entitled "Ornithological Odysseys: Bird-related Adventures in Natural History and Science".

Dr. Sallie Ruskoski, Chair of the Medical Laboratory Science Program presented a poster, “We Are All Part of the Pie: Professionalism Between Health Care Personnel” at the first Annual Nursing and Allied Health Educators Conference at Sea October 16-20, 2014.

Dr. Sallie Ruskoski also had a manuscript, Histoplasma Fungemia Infection in an American-English Cross Fox Hound Puppy” accepted for publication in Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Michael Shaughnessy completed compiling a lab manual for general ecology labs.

Dr. Michael Shaughnessy submitted the annual report for the Fringe Mammals project to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.

Dr. Michael Shaughnessy presented a paper on prairie dog biogeography at the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences technical meeting at the NSU Broken Arrow campus.

Dr. Michael Shaughnessy compiled and analyzed data from a joint nest box study with Oklahoma City University.

Dr. Joyce Van Nostrand, Professor Emeritus in the Nursing Program, was elected President-elect of the Oklahoma Nurses Association.

Dr. Kevin Wang attended the Higher Education of Oklahoma Forum Discussions on Thursday, November 6th from 3:30 - 5:30 at Union Collegiate Academy's Grand Hall. Dr. Wang talked about NSU STEM program, how to present to the middle school and high school and engage students for research. Dr. Wang shared experiences in hosting students from high school for real research experiences last summer. Dr. Wang also discussed how to address the controversial issues, such as Biotechnology, during the forum discussion.

Dr. Kevin Wang attended the Oklahoma Academy of Science 103rd Annual Technical Meeting on November 7, 2014, held at Northeastern State University, Broken Arrow. Fifteen students from Dr. Wang’s class and research lab also attended the meeting.

Dr. Kevin Wang attended Arkansas INBRE Research Conference on November 8, 2014, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Arkansas. Drew Breedlove and Alexia Dickey from Dr. Wang’s Lab presented two posters in the biology session.

Dr. Kevin Wang participated at Broken Arrow Public Schools and NSU Academic Enrichment Partnership Oliver Middle School 6th Grade. He taught hands-on experiences on “How to extract DNA from strawberry” to 12 gifted students from Oliver Middle School, Broken Arrow, on October 22, 2014.

Dr. Sue Woods attended the OSSBA State Convention on Aug. 26-28. She is a member of the Caney Valley School Board and serves as President of that Board and the Liaison and Delegate at the state meeting.

Dr. Sue Woods attended the Advisors Symposium at OUHSC on September 12.

Dr. Woods is the Pre-Professional Health Advisor on the Broken Arrow campus. The NSU-BA Pre-Professional Health Club had three meetings and a volunteer event in September.

On Sept. 2, the Club had an organizational session then had two guest speakers: Dr. Sue Woods gave a brief presentation on Learning Styles and Study /Test-Taking Skills; Mike Woods, MD was available for questions concerning the application process for professional program. Dr. Woods has served on the Board of Admissions for the OU Medical School for over 20 years.

On Sept. 16, several former students were guest speakers and had a panel discussion about the experiences of a first year medical student.

Several guests from OU School of Community Medicine provided information about the PA-Tulsa program and the OU Medical School. Meredith Talley, Director of Student Services and Admissions, and several medical and PA students were present.

The PPHC helped with the Red Cross Blood Drive on the BA campus on September 9th.

Dr. Sue Woods and Dr. Sallie Ruskoski spent the morning of October 8th doing experiments with sixth graders at Oliver Middle School as part of the BAPS and NSU Partnership Enrichment Program. The experiments involved yeast metabolism, emulsions, blood typing and antibody production in response to vaccines and infections.

Dr. Sue Woods joined Mr. Rick Peters for a Q & A session with Dr. Keeney’s School and Community Partnerships course at Oklahoma Wesleyan University, The topic was responsibilities of superintendents and school board members. Dr. Woods is the President of the Caney Valley School Board and Mr. Peters is the Caney Valley School Superintendent.

Dr. Sue Woods attended the American Academy of Family Physicians Convention with her husband. She briefly participated in a rural medical education panel discussion as a pre-professional health advisor and attended a talk by Dr. Kent Brantley, the physician who contracted Ebola and was treated and recovered at Emery University.

Pre-Professional Health Club (PPHC) had two meetings in October. Brent Ross, Recruiter from OU College of Medicine, spoke about the opportunities at OU medical programs at OUHSC and at OU-Schusterman. Our other guest speaker had to cancel due to a death in the family. Dr. Sue Woods is the sponsor of the PPHC in Broken Arrow.

Grant News

Award Name: Educational Talent Search - Tahlequah Campus 2014-2015, Year 4/5 
Award Dates: September 1, 2014 - August 31, 2015
Award Amount: $230,000
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education
Project Director: Diane Walker

Award Name: Educational Talent Search- Broken Arrow Campus 2014-2015, Year 4/5
Award Dates: September 1, 2014 - August 31, 2015
Award Amount: $230,000
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Education
Project Director: Diane Walker
Purpose of Award(s): To identify disadvantaged youths with potential for post secondary education, encourage them to complete secondary school and undertake post secondary educational training. To publicize existing forms of student aid. To provide tutorial services for youths being encouraged to undertake or re-enter programs of post secondary education. This program is part of TRIO.

Award Name: Alliance for Minority Participation 2014-2019
Award Dates: September 1, 2014 - August 31, 2015 Yr 1 of 5
Award Amount: $43,357/year
Project Director: Dr. Jody Buckholtz
Funding Agency: National Science Foundation through Oklahoma State University
Purpose of Award: A subcontract to contribute to the national agenda to increase the number of under represented minorities receiving B.S. degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Award Name: American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES EPSCoR Fall- 2014)
Award Dates: 09/15/2014 - 11/30/2014
Award Amount: $9,362
Project Director: Alisa Douglas
Funding Agency: Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma EPSCoR through National Science Foundation
Purpose: To assist students with the following travel expenses: AISES National Conference in Orlando, Florida November 12-17, 2014

Award Name: NATO CAP Stars-Mayo Clinic 2014-2015 Award Dates: August 1, 2014 – July 31, 2015
Award Amount: $38,350
Project Director: Dr. Fritz Laux
Funding Agency: Mayo Clinic Arizona
Purpose of Award: To research understudied aspects of state and community tobacco control policy and media interventions.

Award Name: Child Welfare Specialization Training Program II 2014-2015 (Yr 2 of 5)
Award Dates: September 30, 2014 - September 29, 2015 (Year 2 of 5)
Total Award Amount: $735,000 in increments of $147,000/year for 5 years
Project Director: Dr. Virginia Whitekiller
Funding Agency: Department of Health & Human Services for Children and Families through The Research Foundation for the State University of New York, Albany, New York.
Purpose of Award: Development of a program of diverse child welfare workforce, namely Native Americans. It highlights a formal agency partnership with the Cherokee Nation Indian Welfare with the desired outcome that a more effective and efficient bridge will be built between both organizations that will support and enhance tribal child welfare services. This collaboration will include ongoing workforce training as well as a workforce entry and retention plan. It will include (8) BSW traineeships per year for a total of (40) awards over the 5 year period.

Award Name: Get Green for Blue Summer Academy 2015
Award Dates: 12/04/2014 - September 30, 2015
Award Amount: $10,600
Project Director(s): Dr. Kathi McDowell, Dr. Pamela Christol and Dr. Martha Parrott
Funding Agency: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education
Purpose of Award: This project will continue a week-long summer academy for high school students at the NSU Broken Arrow campus. The academy will connect students to possible career paths, to their relationship with the local and global environmental communities, and to their roles as responsible stewards of the planet

College of Liberal Arts

Associate Professor of Art Lance Hunter has his work featured in an article in the February 2015 issue of Watercolor Artist magazine. The article titled “The Best Art of 2014” features the Best in Show winners from the most prestigious national and international watercolor exhibitions in the United States. Hunter’s painting “A Touch of Blue” received the top award in the Missouri Watercolor International Exhibition last year and the painting was included in the article with an interview and the juror’s comments. The December issue of Southwestern Art magazine showcased Hunter’s work in an article titled “Something in the Water”. The article featured the work of seven artists working in watercolors and acrylics in the United States.

An interview and images of Lance Hunter’s work were also published in a profile in the November/December issue of Art Focus Oklahoma. This visual arts magazine is published by the Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition in Oklahoma City and distributed throughout the state.

Dr. Ronald Chioldi’s textbook, Keyboard Musicianship, Book 2 will be published in February with Stipes Publishing. Along with the other coauthors, he will be a presenter at the national MTNA conference in Las Vegas.

Dr. Jeffery Wall, Assistant Professor of Music, authored a publication forthcoming in the March issue of the Choral Journal of the American Choral Directors Association titled, "Intentional & Expressive Conducting: It's All in the Rebound."

Oklahoma College of Optometry

Dr. Nate Lighthizer, Dr. Jeff Miller, and Dr. Richard Castillo traveled to Calgary, Alberta February 6-9 for the 2nd offering of an Advanced Certification Course for Alberta Optometrists. The three doctors from NSU have now trained all of the 650+ optometrists in Alberta on prescribing oral medications, treating glaucoma, and ordering lab testing and diagnostic imaging (CT, MRI, etc).

Dr. Lighthizer, in the past month, also lectured twice in Dallas, at optometric societies in Austin, TX as well as in Dothan, AL for continuing education conferences for optometrists.

Dr. Thomas Salmon was awarded a research/consultation grant from CooperVision Japan for 2015. The $41,100 award for this year is part of a 9-year ongoing grant that has brought $750,000 to NSU. As a part of the grant, Dr. Salmon writes a monthly newsletter on contact lens related subjects for doctors and clinical staff in Japan. The newsletters are available online (in Japanese) at http://coopervision.jp/practitioner/magazine

The NSUOCO Class of 2015 presented their research projects at the Heart of America Contact Lens Society (HOACLS) meeting in Kansas City on February 13-14. For the past three years, the HOACLS has sponsored a poster session with submissions from optometry schools across the country. Out of the 25 posters selected for presentation at this year’s meeting, 16 were from NSUOCO, including 14 from the current 4th year students and two from residents, Drs. Kyle and Brianna Ryff. All NSUOCO student researchers received a $100 award from the HOACLS. Dr. Kyle Ryff and students Sara Taylor and Ryanne Elmer also received $2,000 awards for their outstanding research posters.

College of Science and Health Professions

Dr. April Adams, Professor of General Physical Science

• reviewed 6 secondary science education programs for NSTA/CAEP. She was Lead
  Reviewer for 5 of the reviews.
• reviewed a manuscript for the International Journal of Science Education
• judged the Cherokee Nation Science and Engineering Fair on January 24, 2015

Dr. April Adams and Dr. Sophia Sweeney presented the paper entitled, “Three Distinct Measures of In-Service Science Teacher Gains in Chemistry and Physics Content Knowledge: Objective Item Exams, Structural Concept Maps, and Surveys,” by Dr. Sophia Sweeney, Dr. April Adams, Dr. Jim L. Hicks, and Dr. Jessica D. Martin at the International Meeting of the Association for Science Teacher Education, January 7- 10, 2015, Portland, OR.

Cassandra Crawford-Ciglar, MA, RDN/LD. CPT (NFPA), MT (ASCP), the Program Chair for the Nutritional Science and Dietetics Program participated in the Spring Wellness Program 2015 on February 4, 2015, giving two presentations related to “Healthy Eating on a Budget”. She was invited to speak at the Oklahoma Nurses Association Region 3 meeting on February 12th, presenting, “Nutrition and Self Care” and also at Seagate Technology on February 19, addressing, “Nutrition and Self Care”. Students are also participating in the Spring Wellness Program and promoting community service by giving guided grocery tours at Reasor’s in Tahlequah, Fridays from 10-1 in February and April.

Dr. John de Banzie

• attended the Arkansas INBRE Research conference and served as a judge for the poster session.
• prepared a second edition of his Genetics Laboratory Supplement iBook. The book is available to students at no cost on the iTunes store.
• organized the Science and Technology seminar series. There will be six speakers, including an NSU graduate.
• reviewed a chapter for an upcoming Biochemistry textbook.

Karl Kruczek, Instructor of Mathematics

• was a judge for the Cherokee County Science Fair which was held Tuesday February 3, 2015 at the Tahlequah Community Center.
• participated in the Higher Ed Forum of Oklahoma discussion held Thursday February 5, 2015 at Union High School. The Higher Ed Forum of Oklahoma is an open forum for all people interested in serving students making the transition from high school to college.

Diana Mashburn, Assistant Professor and Chair of the RN-BSN Program, was elected Secretary for the National Alaska/Native American Nursing Association (NANAINA).

Dr. Mia Revels coordinated the Nickel Preserve Winter Bird Count on February, 3, 2015. Fifteen volunteers from around the state gathered for the count, which tallied 50 bird species for the day including several Bald Eagles. The Spring Bird Count date will be announced soon.

Jason Stevens, MA, RDN, CSO, LD, a faculty member in the Nutritional Science and Dietetics Program, collaborated with the Cherokee Nation and participated in World Cancer Day on February 4. Mr. Stevens and 4 MNT students presented nutrition and cancer information at the Cherokee Nation Complex.

Dr. Erik Terdal co-directed the annual technical meeting of the Oklahoma Academy of Sciences on the Broken Arrow campus, and had four students give talks. Two of those students also had talks accepted for the 2015 National Council for Undergraduate Research conference in April.

Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang, Assistant Professor of Biology

• co-authored “Expression, Characterization and Antimicrobial Ability of Variant T4 Lysozyme in Pichia pastoris” in international peer reviewed journal: Agricultural Sciences & Technology.
• presented "Using Plants as Pharmaceutical Factory" for NSU Biology & Chemistry seminar series. Northeastern State University, Broken Arrow, OK. January 23, 2015.
• co-authored a paper “Rapid diversification of five Oryza AA genomes associated with rice adaptation". published in Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 111(46):E4954-62. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1418307111.
• filed a provisional patent" Seed-Derived Blood Clot-dissolving Proteins". U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/106,068.
• and his student, Alexia Dickey, presented "Antibiotic Resistant Gene-Deletion in Transgenic Tobacco". At an international conference: Plant & Animal Genome XXIII, San Diego, CA, January 10-14, 2015.

Dr. Sue Woods, Instructor of Biology

• participated a Pre-Professional Health Advisor on Transfer Day at NSU-BA on January 10, 2015.
• did science projects at Caney Valley Elementary School on January 9 and 16, 2015. The projects included procedures on density, air and hand washing exercises emphasizing the spread of diseases.
• attended the 2015 Teachers Teaching Teachers Winter Conference with the Osage County Interlocal Cooperative in Pawhuska, OK, on January 19, 2015.

We Are Better Together Staff Development Day February 23, 2015

The NSU Staff Council and Human Resources presented a day of practical application and teamwork, focused on building skills to work better within, and outside of, our own departments. The concept of “WE are NSU” was emphasized, focusing more on the impact we have on our co-worker's success, in addition to our own.

There was Free Food

Fiesta Buffet

Fun

Door Prizes

Free T-shirts

Music

The Great Marshmallow Challenge Shout OUTs! And photos PowerPoint Presentation

Learning

Cooperation vs. Competition

Kelly Barnes, NSU Graduate

Again, The Great Marshmallow Challenge

Liz Guilfoyle

Captain James Bell with the NSU Campus Police

In the a.m. session, NSU ROTC Color Guard, led by Captain Jonathan Jordan presented our nation’s colors. And NSU Student, Hansen Johnson sang the national anthem. Guest referees monitored rule compliance for the spaghetti/ marshmallow building in both sessions. The refs looked strikingly official and rumors of bribes were quickly squashed. Though one referee did accept a Life Savor, it did not affect the outcome.

Human Resources

Alisa Hamett

Phyllis Chappelle 

Tere Feller

Tana Hendrickson 

Amanda Chappelle

Student Support

Fantashia Jarett 

Chermara Wharry 

Jasmine Ryan

Hansen Johnson

Captain Jonathan Jordan 

NSU ROTC

Media

Mike Allen 

Mike Franke 

Pete Henshaw

Better Together Committee

Monica Barnett 

Lisa McCormick 

Jessica Roberts 

Deanie Hensley 

Claudia Voigt 

Karen Ross 

John Asbill 

Robin Hutchins 

Desiree Keen 

Janet Robinson 

Brenda Bunch

Cabinet Sponsors

Dr. Mark Arant 

David Koehn

Guest Referees

(ref shirts provided by Scott Pettus)

Ben Hardcastle

Sue Catron

Jerrett Phillips

Dr. Laura Boren 

Dr. Phil Bridgemon 

Dr. Eloy Chavez 

Dr. Debbie Landry 

Dr. Mark Arant

UC Set Up

Jerry Hill 

Shannon Robbins 

Bobby Rider 

Randy Grogan

Grant News

Award Name: Maryetta Public Schools 2015-2018
Award Dates: 01/05/2015 - 09/14/2018
Total Award Amount: $14,579
Project Director(s): Dr. Tobi Thompson and Dr. Ingrid Massey
Funding Agency: Maryetta Public Schools through the U.S. Department of Education Purpose of Award: NSU faculty will provide literacy training for Maryetta staff during Summer Institutes, and monthly coaching during the academic year. This award is for a period of 4 years.

Award Name: Sensitive Detection Using BNA 2015-16 Award Dates: 01/01/2015 - 05/31/2016
Award Amount: $10,000
Project Director(s): Dr. Sung Kun (Sean) Kim Funding Agency: Bio Synthesis
Purpose of Award: This project will develop highly sensitive probes that can distinguish cancerous genes among a large number of wild-type genes.

Award Name: 2015 Symposium on the American Indian
Award Dates: 01/15/2015 - 06/30/2015
Award Amount: $7,000
Project Director: Ms. Alisa Douglas
Funding Agency: Oklahoma Humanities Council
Purpose of Award: Funds for support of the 43rd Annual Symposium on the American Indian to be held April 14-18, 2015. The support for this program helps benefit the academic community as well as the general public of the State of Oklahoma. This year's theme will be "Children: The Seeds of Change-The Impact of Tribal Knowledge and Sovereign Rights on the Future of Cultural Identity". The topic will cover the common thread woven through the history and heritage of tribes-the responsibility of adults to nurture a sense of compassion for knowledge and skills to perpetuate the passing-on of cultural identity and tribal knowledge. Designed for a diverse public audience, the agenda includes both scholarly and general interest programs. All events are open to the public and free of charge.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. To avoid confusion, please wait until you have all the information for your article before emailing it, so we won’t have to decide which is the corrected copy. Please submit information in the form of a Word document by the 15th of the month for the next months’ issue. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter. If you have any questions, please email Lisa McCormick at mccormil@nsuok.edu.

NSU Libraries

Samantha Clifford, Tamara Kharabora, Kathleen McCay, Tom Rink, Karl Siewert and Susan Woitte presented their research poster at the Oklahoma Chapter of ACRL Conference on Libraries, Leadership & Learning November 6, 2014. The poster creatively illustrates the Information Literacy Learning Community objectives, recent instruction collaborations and their assessment.

Dr. Pamela Louderback will participate in the 2015 Leading Change Institute (formerly the Frye Leadership Institute) in Washington, D.C. This is a highly selective, advanced and intensive leadership development institute for library and IT administrators. It is sponsored by Council on Library and Information Resources and EDUCAUSE.

College of Business and Technology

Dr. Ken Jones and Dr. Jim Phillips, are co-authors of a research article due for April 15 release of the Mustang Journal of Marketing and Management, for Spring 2015. The article is entitled: “Going Home: Why Is Regular Remote Work Reeling?”.

A Muskogee Phoenix article released February 1st, documented the Trail Blazer program implemented by NSU's Alumni Association and Dr. Ken Jones of the College of Business and Technology. The article noted the success of bringing 22 alumni into Dr. Jones' classroom during the Fall 2014 semester. The article cited the positive response of students and alumni to the effort.

College of Liberal Arts

Dr. Mark Bighley, Professor of Music and Chair of the Music Department, performed an organ recital on Sunday, March 15 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New York City, and on Monday, March 30 at First United Methodist Church in Tahlequah. He performed works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Dieterich Buxtehude, Samuel Scheidt and Ernst Pepping.

Dr. Brian Cowlishaw, Associate Professor of English, authored “What Maesters Knew: Narrating Knowing,” a chapter in the book Mastering the Game of Thrones by Jes Battis and Susan Johnston. In its review wrote, "Battis and Johnson have assembled a volume that stands on its own both as rigorous criticism and as an accessible way for rabid fans to lose themselves in Westeros all over again...recommended."

Professor of English Dr. Joseph Faulds’ essay, "Living Memory: Mythic Cycles of Time in Silko, Harjo, and Tallmountain," was presented at the National Association of Native American Studies Conference (Feb. 9-14) and will be included in a monograph of essays selected from the conference proceedings, to be published later this year.

Pete Henshaw, Adjunct Instructor in Art, published two articles in the January 2015 issue of The Contact Sheet – The Journal of the University Photographers' Association of America. The articles are titled “No. 53: Another Symposium in the Books” and “Help-Portrait Event Benefits the Photographers and the Photographed.”

Dr. Christopher Malone, Professor of English, led twelve students, alumni, and others on a 12-day trip to Ireland in August 2014. The study away experience was part of a fall intersession course entitled The Sense of Place in Contemporary Irish Fiction. In July 2014, Malone presented a paper, "Ekphrastic Explorations of Evil in DeLillo and McCarthy," at an interdisciplinary conference called Evil Incarnate: Manifestations of Villains and Villainy, at Case Western Reserve University. In April 2015 he will participate in a panel presentation as part of the "Big Read" event at NSU-BA, focusing on Ursula K. LeGuin's A Wizard of Earthsea.

Dr. David K. Scott and Dr. Mike Chanslor, Professors Communication and Media Studies, and Jennifer Dixon of Marymount Manhattan College, published an article in the peer-reviewed Journal of Children and Media (Volume.8, Issue.4, 2014).The article investigated the journalistic quality of adolescent-targeted newscasts in the USA through a comparative analysis between Channel One News, CNN Student News, and the CBS Evening News. Overall it was concluded that the potential of Channel One News to engage youth had been compromised due to the commercial emphasis of the newscast.

Professor of Social Work Dr. Virginia Drywater-Whitekiller's article, 'Family Group Conferencing: An Indigenous Practice Approach to Compliance With the Indian Child Welfare Act’, published in Journal of Public Child Welfare has been included in an online article collection featuring the most downloaded articles published in Routledge Health & Social Care journals in 2014. The collection features the top three most downloaded articles that were published and downloaded in 2014 in each Routledge Health and Social Care journal. It can be freely available on the Routledge website until the 30th of June, via the collection homepage here: tandfonline.com/doi/ full/10.1080/15548732.2014.907102

The NSU Speech and Debate Team took home 9 awards at the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Forensics Association State Tournament, including 3rd place in Individual Event Sweepstakes. The team is directed by Dr. Kristopher Copeland, Assistant Professor of Communication.

Dr. Soma Datta, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, accompanied five students to the STEM conference in San Jose, California Feb. 19-21, 2015. The conference "Closing the Gap" is an effort to encourage women to enter the field of Computer Science. The visit included a trip to Google to tour its facilities and meet employees.

Dr. Soma Datta made two presentations at the NOMSTA conference held March 7, 2015 in Tahlequah. In the first, she demonstrated a website that leads people to understand computer programming through a series of fun games and puzzles. In the second, she led students to perform a dance that illustrated how a computer algorithm sorts numbers smallest to largest. The dance is found at https://www.youtube.com/watchv=7JZrf6JGGkw&feature=youtu.be

Nathan Lighthizer, O.D., Assistant Dean for Clinical Care Services at the College of Optometry, traveled to Atlanta, Georgia to lecture at the SECO International Conference, which is the second largest optometric conference in the nation with over 6,000 attendees. Dr. Lighthizer lectured on Anaphylaxis, Oral Narcotics, Electrophysiology, and Laser Procedures for the management of glaucoma.

Dr. Lighthizer also traveled to Fort Smith, Arkansas and lectured for the Western Arkansas Optometric Association on anterior segment eye disease and viral eye disease.

Dr. Richard Castillo, NSUOCO ophthalmologist, completed recertification in Advanced Cardiopulmonary Life Support, and an OSHA-compliant Physician’s Blood borne Pathogen Prevention certification course.

Dr. Spencer Johnson presented several hours of continuing education to optometrist at the North Dakota Optometric Association Spring Conference in Bismarck, North Dakota on February 19th and 20th. Courses covered topics on neuroimaging, evaluation of anisocoria, headaches, diabetes, pink eye, and a new system for coding diseases in the United States (the International Classification of Disease–10th revision), scheduled for implementation on October 1, 2015.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. To avoid confusion, please wait until you have all the information for your article before emailing it, so we won’t have to decide which is the corrected copy. Please submit information in the form of a Word document by the 15th of the month for the next months’ issue. Any information sent after that will be in the following newsletter. If you have any questions, please email Lisa McCormick at mccormil@nsuok.edu.

Oklahoma College of Optometry

On April 24, Dr. David Lewerenz, Associate Professor of Optometry, presented "From Tradition to Innovation" to the national annual meeting of VisionServe Alliance in Oklahoma City. VisionServe Alliance is a consortium of Executive Directors and CEOs of non-profit organizations throughout the United States that provide services to people with vision loss. The presentation explored the history of vision rehabilitation and future trends in how to assist visually impaired individuals reach their potential through multi-disciplinary teamwork and technology.

College of Science and Health Professions

Dr. Troy Lee, Assistant Professor and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator for the Occupational Therapy Program coordinated the first fieldwork experience for the inaugural class of the Occupational Therapy Program. Lacey Lashley, second year occupational therapy student, completed a rotation at Clarehouse, an end of life care facility in Tulsa, OK.

Dr. Pamela Christol, President of the Northeastern OK Mathematics and Science Teachers Association (NOMSTA), gave a presentation titled “Integrating Literacy Workstations with Science Content” with Dr. Stephan Sargent at the biannual conference on Saturday, March 7, 2015.

Two Medical Laboratory Science students, Adam Clark and Vera Lynn Merchant presented posters at Oklahoma Research Day in Tahlequah on March 13, 2015.

Dr. Heather Fenton, Assistant Professor and Program Chair for the MSN Program, submitted two grants, one through HRSA related to academic/ clinical partnerships and the second for MSN student loan repayment.

Dr. Jodi Gooden, Dr. Diana Mashburn, Staci Quant, and Jennifer O’Conner, Nursing Program faculty, judged entries in the Muskogee Regional Science Fair on February 11, 2015.

Lisa Griggs-Stapleton, MOT, OTR/L, an instructor in the Occupational Therapy Program, attended the workshop, “Analysis of Survey Data” at Texas Women’s University in Dallas, Texas in March 2015. The workshop offered information pertaining to the creation and analysis of surveys for use in research.

Dr. Kyeorda Kemp is coordinating a visit from the manager of NIH's Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training (BEST) program, Dr. D'anne Duncan, and the program coordinator for Vanderbilt University’s Initiative for Maximizing Diversity Program (funded by NIH) and co-director of Vanderbilt's Summer Science Academy. They will be speaking to students in the Natural Science department about graduate school, how to prepare for graduate school, how to obtain research opportunities, and alternative careers for those with STEM degrees.

Dr. Sung-Kun (Sean) Kim reviewed a research article for the journal Biochemistry. Biochemistry is an international peer-reviewed journal published by American Chemistry Society (ACS).

Dr. Edgarita Long, Professor in the Speech and Language Pathology Program and Kalani Hardesty an SLP student attended a conference on April 4, 2015 on Assessing and Treating the Speech and Language skills of Bilingual Children. The presenter, Dr. Brian Goldstein is the Dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at La Salle University in Philadelphia.

Dr. Diana Mashburn, RN-BSN Program Director, served as an abstract reviewer for the National League for Nursing Education Summit. She was also selected as an Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing Program Evaluator and attended orientation in Atlanta on February 19, 2015.

Dr. Spence Pilcher gave a presentation, "Fun with Polymers", at the Northeastern Oklahoma Mathematics and Science Teacher Association (NOMSTA) Annual Spring Meeting in Tahlequah, OK on March 7, 2015.

Staci Quant, Instructor, Nursing Program completed qualitative data collection for her dissertation from Oral Roberts University.

Dr. Michael Shaughnessy supervised the installation and upgrading of the museum cases, which protect specimens from sunlight and insect pests, in Science Lab 212. The NSU Vertebrate Museum houses specimens of cataloged fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Graduating senior Elizabeth Schumann, Emily DeMoss, Krista Brown and Jacob Ward, student curators, assist in the process of organizing the collection, moving the specimens to the new cases and establishing an insect colony for cleaning and processing specimens. Upon graduation, Elizabeth Schumann is going to Fort Hays State University to work on a Master’s Degree in mammalogy with Dr. Elmer Finck.

Dr. Erik Terdal

• was appointed Executive Director of the Rainforest Restoration Foundation, a conservation NGO.
• directed population ecology research on white-tailed deer at Sequoyah State Park with his students and a crew from Americorps.
• reviewed a manuscript for the international Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science. The research, done in Spain, was inspired by his dissertation research.

Dr. Kevin Yueju Wang submitted a grant to National Institute of Health (NIH): Title of Project: Seed-derived Therapeutic Protein for Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Sheree Whiteside, M.S. Ed., Program Chair and Instructor in the Human and Family Science Program attended the Oklahoma Council on Family Relations State Conference at OSU/Tulsa on March 27, 2015. Also in attendance was a delegation of students from NSU. The theme for the conference was Contemporary Influences on Family Relationships: Media, Technology and Other Trends and the goal was to develop a better understanding of family relationships within the ever changing landscape of technology and media in modern society.

College of Business and Technology

Mike Brasel, of Walmart, speaks to NSU students at the company’s High Velocity Mechanized Distribution Center near Bartlesville, where he is a systems manager. On April 1, forty-one graduate and undergraduate students toured the facility, which distributes primarily grocery items to stores in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri. Students came from MBA classes of Dr. Michael Landry, Professor of Marketing and Chair of the Department of Marketing, Hospitality and Supply Chain Management; Dr. Keith Brand, NSU Adjunct Professor and Systems Integration Manager at Spirit AeroSystems, and undergraduate classes of Dr. Ken Jones, Assistant Professor of Management.

Last week, NSU Broken Arrow’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program finished providing tax services for the 2015 filing season. Twenty-eight volunteers, under the supervision of Professors McDaniel and Halpern, provided free income tax preparation for low and moderate income taxpayers. In the past, the clinic has been open on Monday and Thursday evenings and on Saturday afternoons. The year’s unprecedented number of volunteers made it possible for us to add a Saturday morning session. As a result, 585 tax returns were prepared, an increase of 25% over last year.

NSU’s Supply Chain Management program has entered into an agreement with MercuryGate International to allow free usage of the company’s transportation management software (TMS) in NSU supply chain classes, according to Dr. Michael Landry, Chair of the Department of Marketing, Hospitality and Supply Chain Management. Over the summer, Dr. Landry and Dr. Keith Brand, NSU Adjunct Professor and Systems Integration Manager at Spirit AeroSystems, will be learning the software for use in the Marketing Logistics classes each will be teaching in the fall semester. Later use of the software will be in Principles of Transportation and a possible carrier management class. Fifteen individuals attended the semi-annual meeting of the NSU Supply Chain Management Advisory Board December 5, 2014 at a Broken Arrow restaurant. Representatives of various organizations, including American Airlines, Tulsa Public Schools, and Wal-Mart Logistics joined Dr. Michael Landry, Chair of the Department of Marketing, Hospitality and Supply Chain Management for the meeting. Others representing NSU were from the College of Extended Learning: Dr. Eloy Chavez, Dean, and Mike Pugliese, an NSU MBA student. Among business people attending were four graduates of the NSU Supply Chain Management major. “This is a great opportunity for everyone involved,” said Dr. Landry. “Students get real-world business simulations; MercuryGate gets exposure of their products to our students, who are future supply chain executives, and the businesses where we place our students get people already trained in these applications.”

Students in Dr. Michael Landry’s undergraduate Fall Semester Marketing Logistics were engaged in a real-world consulting project involving Premier Logistics of Tulsa. Premier, under the direction of President Jeff Mancini, is in the process of connecting its warehouse to the national rail network via BNSF Railroad. Students researched various strategies of using rail and results were forwarded to Premier.

Dr. Benjamin Ofili, Associate Professor of Management and Chair, Department of Business Administration published an article in the peer-reviewed Journal - International Journal of Business and Social Science Vol. 6, No. 3; March 2015. The paper is entitled: “Rethinking the Differential in Precautionary Savings between Black and White Americans”. The article investigates the differences in precautionary savings between black and white Americans using the theories of reasoned action and individualism and collectivism. The study concludes while subjective norm and attitude affects saving behavior regardless of race, behavioral intent mediates the effects of both toward saving behavior. Attitude moderates the effect of individualism on saving behavior while subjective norm moderates the effect of collectivism on saving behavior. Blacks are highly different in collectivism compared to whites. Therefore, the influence on subjective norm and attitude and the relationship in moderation affects saving decisions differently between the groups, hence a difference in the precautionary savings behavior and outcome between blacks and whites.

Dr. Mitch Ricketts, Assistant Professor, Information Systems and Technology, is a co-author (with collaborators from Kansas State University) of a research article published in the 2015 First Quarter issue of the Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health. The article is entitled "Worker Injuries Involving the Interaction of Cattle, Cattle Handlers, and Farm Structures or Equipment." The goal of the study was to identify opportunities for preventing injuries to agricultural workers caused by cattle. An analysis of 221 cattle-related injury reports demonstrated that about half of all injuries involved either of two scenarios, as follows: (1) cattle pushed workers into structures such as fences, gates, posts, and walls; or (2) cattle struck gates and other objects, propelling them at the victims. The research supported an increased emphasis on the development of safer gate designs (e.g., gates that are remotely operated or that absorb energy to limit their swing speed). Second, the research suggested a need for additional study of energy-absorbing fence and wall structures.

NSU Associate Professor of Marketing Dr. Jitendra Tewari spoke to Tahlequah High School seniors December 5, 2014 about business careers. Also speaking was Professor of Marketing Dr. Michael Landry. In addition, Assistant Professor of Management Dr. Ken Jones, who organized the all-day event involving some 400 THS students, conducted most of the presentations throughout the day.

Congratulations Dr. Mitch Ricketts for being selected for the Dr. Tiffany Maher Legacy Award.

Compliments to the Top Ten Faculty and Staff Nominees

Cassandra Crawford-Ciglar

Brenda Bradford

Vickie Brown-Racy

Dr. Susan Frusher

Peggy Glenn

Dr. John Mercer

Dr. Ben Ofili

Dr. Martha Parrot

Dr. Melissa Strong

Dr. Andrew Vassar

College of Education

College of Education Celebration of Teaching: The College of Education held its annual Celebration of Teaching event on March 3, 2015. This event’s goal is to give public school students early, positive experiences with college and those who educate teachers. Dr. Debbie Landry, Dr. Tobi Thompson, and Dr. Ingrid Massey coordinated the event. There were high school students from Booker T. Washington High School, Tulsa Edison High School, Pryor High School, Tahlequah High School and Westville High School. Several COE students assisted with the event, including Kappa Rho Chapter Presidents, Kappa Delta Pi, Ms. Sara Stick (Broken Arrow Chapter), and Ms. Jami Guthrie (Tahlequah Chapter), who emceed the opening event. The keynote speakers were the 2015 National Teacher of the Year, Mr. Sean McComb, and the 2014 State Teacher of the Year, Mr. Jason Proctor. Esteemed professional guests served on a teacher’s discussion panel—Ms. Tonya Boyle, 5th grade teacher at H. Cecil Rhoades Elementary School; Ms. Lezlie Gilbert, 2nd grade teacher at Heritage Elementary School (2016 Heritage Elementary Teacher of the Year); Mr. Shawn Sheehan, special education teacher at Norman High School (2016 Norman High School Teacher of the Year); and Ms. Diane Walker, history teacher at Muskogee High School (2015 Oklahoma Teacher of the Year finalist). Several College of Education faculty and students presented during the afternoon sessions, including Dr. Vanessa Anton, Dr. Sherry Been, Dr. Kelli Carney, Ms. Taylor Eversole, Dr. Carl Farinelli, Dr. Roxanne Fillmore, Dr. Cindi Fries, Ms. Barbara Fuller, Dr. Kathy Hixon, Dr. Megan Moreland, Dr. Sarah Ramsey, Dr. Barbara Ray, Dr. Melinda Smith, Ms. Kayleigh Snider, Dr. Sonia Tinsley, and Dr. Linda Wilson.

The College of Education would like to congratulate Dr. Mark Giese and Ms. Bonnie Giese for being selected as 2015 NSU Centurions. They were honored on NSU’s Founders Day 2015 on March 6, 2015.

Dr. Stephan Sargent, Department of Curriculum and Instruction faculty member, has been named as a 2015 DaVinci Fellow, and teacher candidate David Dotson, an elementary education major, has been named as a 2015 DaVinci Scholar. Both were recognized at the DaVinci Institute's annual banquet on March 27 at the Oklahoma History Center.

COE and State Collaboration: College of Education administrators are serving on state task force groups that collaborate with a variety of partners—including the Oklahoma Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (OACTE), Oklahoma Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA), the Oklahoma State Department of Education, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, higher education leaders, and P-12 school leaders in order to develop and implement plans in the state that will move education forward.

Dr. Vanessa Anton was invited by Governor Mary Fallin and State Superintendent for Public Instruction, Joy Hofmeister, to serve as an advisor, reviewer, and monitor for the next several months in a stakeholder group as a part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Excellence Educators for All initiative that will help states and school districts support high quality educators. As a part of this initiative, states are required to submit a State Plan to Ensure Equitable Access to Excellent Educators. Shareholders will assist with this plan to convey how the state “will make certain minority students and low-income students are taught by experienced, qualified, or in-field teachers at the same rate as other students.”

Dr. Vanessa Anton is serving on the OACTE Data Collection Coordination Task Force. This group will develop plans for collaboration between the state and higher education for a more streamlined approach to data collection and distribution in educator preparation.

Dr. Debbie Landry is serving on the Governor’s Education Advisory Council which meets at the State Capitol. This group will be discussing the Oklahoma Works initiative as well as best practices in education and workforce alignment.

Dr. Debbie Landry was invited to serve on the Oklahoma Talent Management Continuous Improvement Collaborative. This group will strategize and develop the state’s grant application for the US Department of Education’s State Longitudinal Data System Grant Program. This round of SLDS grants will focus on helping states, districts, and schools use data to improve performance.

Dr. Debbie Landry is serving on the Performance Assessment Task Force coordinated by the OEQA. This group will be studying and then recommending a performance assessment for teacher preparation/certification in the state of Oklahoma.

Dr. Debbie Landry, Dr. Vanessa Anton, and Dr. Pam Hathorn attended the first meeting of a group of deans and associates from the Arts, Sciences, and Education in Oklahoma City on April 3, 2015. This group gathered to discuss collaboration in teacher preparation, and plans to continue to work together in the future.

The College of Education RoboHawks were inducted into the NSU Hall of Fame on April 11, 2015.

Several College of Education faculty (Dr. Vanessa Anton, Ms. Alissa Baker-Oglesbee, Dr. Renee Cambiano, Dr. Mark Giese, Dr. Kathy Hixon, Dr. Elizabeth Keller-Depree, Dr. Debbie Landry, Dr. Ahmet Ozturk, Dr. Cynthia Spering, and Dr. Sophia Sweeney) presented at Oklahoma Research Day, held at NSU, on March 13, 2015. Several students also presented with their faculty mentors.

Dr. Vanessa Anton, presented “Developing Performance-Based Assessments for Early Clinical Experiences” with Dr. John Henning, Associate Dean of Academic Engagement and Outreach, Ohio University; Dr. Lynne Mills, Head of Department of Early Childhood, Elementary, and Reading Education, Auburn University; and Dr. Carol Ryan, Associate Dean of the College of Education & Human Services, Northern Kentucky University at the national Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) in Denver, CO, April 9, 2015. This presentation was based on ongoing research regarding best practice in teacher education clinical preparation by the CAEP State Alliance.

Dr. Anita Ede: The Early Childhood program is piloting a new course this semester, ELED 4813 Classroom Management for Early Childhood. Candidates are learning developmentally appropriate strategies that support the social and emotional needs of Pre-K to third grade children and foster a positive learning environment.

Wendy Pharr will be presenting research at CEC in San Diego, CA on April 9th.

Ms. Kari L. Hurt and Dr. Sophia Sweeney presented a poster titled Factors Affecting Student Loan Debt at a Mid-Sized Four-Year University at Oklahoma Research Day, Northeastern State University.

Dr. Sophia Sweeney

• served as a proposal reviewer for the 2015 International Meeting of the Association for Science Teacher Education.
• was selected to be one of eight representatives for Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Programs to participate in a focus group conducted by the Council of Chief State School Officers. The purpose of the focus group was to determine the ways in which the Oklahoma State Department of Education needs to improve capacity in order to better serve its stakeholders.

Dr. Lisa Tritschler will be presenting research titled 'Educational Placement and Service Preferences of Parents of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder' in Atlanta, GA on March 16, 2015.

Dr. Allyson Watson, Endowed Chair for Urban Education and Outreach, and Mrs. Jericho Hobson, instructor for Teacher Education, engaged 10 pre-service teacher candidates from the spring 2015 TURN (Teaching and Urban Reform Network) cohort during a recent visit to the Oklahoma State Capitol. The cohort experienced a day of immersion during the 5th annual Urban Day of Engagement. This semester, the theme of the day was, “Civic Engagement and Educational Enlightenment”. During the Urban Day of Engagement the TURN teacher candidates participated in a guided tour of the Capitol. Additionally, the cohort had a special meeting with Representative Kevin Matthews (District 73). Representative Matthews prepared a speech especially for the TURN students to educate them about community advocacy on a local level. This experience allowed the-service teacher candidates to capture a legislative viewpoint regarding the happenings at the state level and the importance of connecting with the local legislators in their respective districts. To finalize the trip, the TURN cohort enjoyed a working lunch to reflect on the trip at one of Oklahoma’s landmarks, Pop’s Diner off the historic Route 66. The entire experience was a success!

Gates Millennium Scholarship Alumni, Dr. Allyson Watson and Mr. Chris Adney (Auxiliary Services) were selected by the American Indian Graduate Center to serve as a scholarship reviewers for the Gates Millennium Scholarship Program. They both attended the scholarship read in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Dr. Allyson Watson

• presented a research study at the 2015 American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) Annual Research Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Her collaborative research project with Dr. Tehia Starker Glass (UNC-Charlotte) focused on “Creating Efficacy in Pre-Service Teachers: Our Responsibility, Our Benefit”
• will celebrate the five year commemorative anniversary of the Gates Millennium Scholars Alumni Association in Atlanta, Georgia on April 19-20 as immediate past president. Dr. Watson was selected to be the inaugural president in 2010 and will take part in the recognition banquet. The Gates Millennium Scholars Alumni are comprised of over 12,000 members across the country.
• was selected by the American Educational Research Association, Division K: Teaching and Teacher Education to serve as a selection committee judge for the “Division K: Outstanding Dissertation Award”.
  

Linda Wilson: Our ELED program piloted a new course this semester, ELED 4812 Robotics Tutoring for Grades 1-8. We will have over 1, 200 students using the LEGO robotics equipment this semester as well as 30 classroom teachers.

The cover of the April issue of Watercolor Artist magazine featured a painting by Art Associate Professor Lance Hunter. Hunter received an Honorable Mention in the 6th Annual Watermedia Showcase, an international competition sponsored by the magazine. His watercolor "Seeing Red" was then selected by the magazine's editors for the cover. The artist was also asked by the editor of Oklahoma Humanities magazine to provide images of his work to accompany an article on contemporary female poets published in their Winter issue. Green Country Living magazine published a feature about Hunter for their Art of the Matter series in their Winter issue which included an interview and nine images of the artist's work.

Criminal Justice Assistant Professor James Hall and Criminal Justice Chair Dr. John Clark hosted the first meeting of the NSU Homeland Security Advisory Board on March 31st. The board will meet twice a year to provide valuable input to the program. Members of the board are Roger Joliff, Director of the Tulsa Area Emergency Management Agency and current president of the Oklahoma Emergency Management Association, Special Agent Derek Shackelford with Tulsa FBI office and formerly Regional Operations Specialist with FEMA, Artie Palk, Deputy Director of the Sand Springs Emergency Management Office, and Kurt Gwartney, former director of communications for the American Red Cross. Graduates of the program also serve on the board; Autumn Munkirs, Preparedness Planner for Phillips 66, Thomas Enyart, Emergency Management Director for the 138th Fighter Wing in Tulsa, Stacey Hester, Mentor Coordinator for Veteran's Court in Tulsa, and Brian Duncan, volunteer with Boy Scouts, conducting emergency preparedness training for local Eagle Scouts. Also, four of Professor Hall’s Homeland Security seniors are writing emergency plans for the City of Shawnee/Pottawatomie County Emergency Management Office. At the end of their assignments Emergency Management Director Don Lynch will review their plans and ultimately they will be adopted by the Local Emergency Planning Council in Shawnee. The students will then make their presentations to a panel of Homeland Security and Emergency Management professionals and past Homeland Security graduates who will evaluate their work.

Lara Searcy, English Education Specialist with the Department of Languages and Literature, presented at the Oklahoma Council of Teachers of English (OCTE) Spring Conference on the Representations of Teacher Identity in Film. Through the exploration of archetypal teacher characters, participants evaluated their own “teacher identity” and they discussed the role film plays in creating a narrative that affects public perceptions of education.

Richard Shelton, Coordinator of Academic Services in CTL and Professor of Spanish Dr. Donna Shelton will give a presentation entitled “Using Digital Awards to Encourage Student Engagement” at the International Conference on Technology in Higher Education, June 14-17, 2015 in Marrakech, Morocco.

Dr. Melissa Strong, Assistant Professor of English, served as a judge in a standard-setting study for the College Level Examination Program's Analyzing and Interpreting Literature exam during February and March. Strong also reviewed submissions for the 2015 conference of the Society for the Study of American Women Writers, which will take place in Philadelphia in November. Students in Dr. Strong's spring 2015 Intro to Women's and Gender Studies course organized a panel discussion of body image in March. They collected supplies for Help-in-Crisis at the event.

Dr. Andrew Vassar, Associate Professor of Humanities, and Dr. Hsin-I Sydney Yueh, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, presented their teaching experiences at NSU in the panel “Intercultural Communication as Praxis: Asia as Method in Teaching and Learning” at the annual conference of Asian Studies Development Program (ASDP), March 21, 2015 in Branson, MO. NaAn, Visiting Scholar at NSU (2014- 2015)/Cangzhou Normal University, also shared her exchange experience in an art class at NSU. Her work was presented by Marisa Patrick, a graduate student in Education. The fourth panelist, Dr. Hsin-Yen Yang of Fort Hays State University, talked about a new perspective of teaching Asian culture in the U.S. university classroom.

If you have any information that you would like to have posted in the next issue of the Academic Times newsletter, please work through your dean’s office. Submit information in the form of a Word document, Verdana font (12 pt) by the 15th of the month for the next months’ issue. If you have any questions, please email Lisa McCormick at mccormil@nsuok.edu.

Dr. Cheryl Van Den Handel, Assistant Professor of Political Science, gave two talks in March at the Muskogee Library's Great Decisions in Foreign Policy series. On March 17th she presented "India Changes Course" and on the 31st she presented "U.S. Foreign Policy in the African Continent". The series takes place every spring and is open to the public. Dr. Van Den Handel has participated for the past 3 years.

Dr. Virginia Whitekiller, Professor of Social Work, recently served on the leadership panel for the Financial Capabilities and Asset Building: Advancing Education, Research and Practice in Social Work at the Center for Social Development, Washington University in St. Louis, April 15-17, 2015. Other panelist were: Dr. Richard Barth, CEO of the KIPP Foundation of Charter Schools; Dr. Jerome Schiele, Dean of Professional Studies at Bowie State and Dr. Mimi Abramoutiz, Bertha Capen Reynolds Professor at Hunter College School of Social Work. Ms. Toni Hail, Instructor of Social Work, also attended the conference.

Grant News

Award Name: NSU Chemistry & Physics Academy 2015
Award Dates: 03/06/2015 - 06/30/2016 Award Amount: $64,670.00
Project Director: Dr. April Adams
Purpose of Award: The Northeastern State University Chemistry and Physics Academy (NSU-CAPA) will provide research-based professional development for certified science teachers who want to become certified to teach Chemistry or Physics.
Funding Agency: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education (OSRHE)-through the U.S. Department of Education

Award Name: American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES-EPSCoR Spring 2015)
Award Dates: 02/01/2015 - 04/30/2015
Award Amount: $4,955.00
Project Director: Alisa Douglas
Purpose: To assist students with the following travel expenses: AISES National Conference in Santa Ana Pueblo, NM
Funding Agency: Oklahoma State University -Oklahoma EPSCoR through National Science Foundation

Award Name: INBRE-Equipment 2015
Award Dates: 02/19/2015 - 04/30/2015
Award Amount: $25,000.00
Project Director: Dr. Jessica Martin
Funding Agency: Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education through INBRE
Purpose of Award: To purchase the following equipment.
Freezone Freeze Dry System-$9626.00
Refrigerated micro centrifuge-$5,660.00
Light microscope with non-standard 20X objective-$1,112.00
C-DiGit Blot Scanner - $6,000.00
Two Sets of Eppendorf Single Channel Variable Volume Pipettors - $2,500.00
Other - $102

Award Name: Oklahoma Small business Development Center 2015
Award Dates: 01/01/2015—06/30/2015 Award Amount: $79,693.59
Project Director: Sharon Nichols
Purpose of Award: To provide comprehensive services and resources to existing and potential small businesses in the State of Oklahoma.
Funding Agency: U.S. Small Business Administration through Southeastern State University

FACULTY RETIREMENTS

• Dr. Joan Bell, Mathematics, 31 years
• Dr. Clara Camero, Foreign Languages, 15 years
• Dr. Bill Corbett, History, 27 years
• Dr. Billy Joe Davis, History, 47 years
• Dr. Mark Giese, Health & Kinesiology, 26 years
• Tony O’seland, English, 11 years
• Delores Sumner, Library, 33 years
• Dr. Mike Toyne, Finance, 18 years